Besides bullet proof vests and mace spray is a tax write off !

Thanks John.What about passive investments in syndications...does your last bullet above confirm that you feel they qualify as well?

Since the units are not the same size, I just bite the bullet and pay for the water. 

If someone on here could give me insight on where to focus energies in the initial stages of growing your presence, it would be greatly appreciated.

In regards to bullet above, when the bank looks at my Debt/Income Ratio will they be factoring in the rental income that I would be making on the condoI am questioning whether or not it is worth thinking about buying this condo under an LLC:Will buying under an LLC allow me to not show the debt in my personal balance sheet or does the debt flow through the LLC to my personal balance sheet? 

So if you have the time, energy, and inclination to be more hands-on, OOS investing becomes a bit trickier.

Can we lower utility costs with energy efficient fixes?

Not only does that reduce energy costs, maintenance is also drastically reduced.

I feel like I'm stuck because I don't have the energy to focus on investing after 12 hours days.

You will have to bite the bullet on this one.