The lease implies I am receiving these pet rents though my monthly statement does not list this fee along side the monthly management fees.

(With major concessions, ie, the business was "properly" capitalized [that's subject to the courts opinion], fraud, etc.)What they leave out is that, in the event of an injury, which is much more likely to result in a lawsuit, you're almost guaranteed to be named alongside the LLC, especially true if you manage your property yourself or if you do any maintenance, cleaning, interacting with guests, etc.

I am looking forward to communicating and gaining a wealth of knowledge on the subject of real estate alongside all of the BiggerPockets Community!!

Also there were several huge trees right alongside the property (leaning towards it) that looked like a huge future expense if one of them falls.jeff

I've read a couple of books on real estate investing and have taken courses in economics to understand how money flows in different markets, but I don't know if there's something else that I could start doing alongside that.

Just open another checking account along side your personal checking. 

(This is not a binary question, only two points along a spectrum.)Achieving the 1% rule—or even the 2% rule— in the Triangle is possible, but you need to consider such factors as the age of the property, number of bedrooms, school districts, bus lines, thoroughfares…the usual suspects, alongside your objectives and tolerance for risk.

The house is on .6 of an acre and the there is shrubbery along side the fencing. 

It goes alongside my ROI formula, comps and inspection so that I can make an informed decision.

Staying aware.Not only do you keep an eye on other investors in your area (what they’re doing, who they’re working with, who you can work alongside), but you gain a consistent feed of information.