Your question has been debated between BP tax experts both privately and publicly, for example here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/51/topics/819991-expens...And we ended up where we started: no consensus and no clarity.There have also been court decisions that support my interpretation, even though I personally find these court decisions debatable.

I have not paid retail for RE in many years and would not in my high cost market (average SFH is ~$1m).  

However, we have found time and time again that 10-20 hours of preparation on the front end can save you 50-60 hours during the renovation.

Account Closed This is 100% necessary for filing your 1099 for you at the end of each year.

At the end of the day, just be fair and things will hopefully fall into place nicely.

Also, which choice is better for you highly depends on what your real estate goals are and the experience level & skillset of the specific agent.Traditional agent and Redfin Agent could essentially be the same thing in many cases.

Be sure your lender is comfortable with this, as many fear giving folks primary loans for properties they view as having a high probability of being turned into a purely investment.

Lots of wholesalers are nothing but contract executors and do nothing but tie up properties without the ability to sell to and end buyer.

I've lost friends and family to substance abuse so it seemed like an opportunity to do some good and make money in the process.I negotiated a sweet deal, and was prepared to buy it myself, but a few of my clients expressed interest and I ended up helping two of them form a partnership.

I think the key to getting a good start in REI is finding a way to have a high 9 to 5 income and using a good portion of it  invest in your real estate endeavors.