And what I find out is there is no context to them folks dont take the time to explain what they want.. also on the form i get from BP it cuts off the e mail address if its a long one so I cant even e mail them back..

I'd definitely recommend not going with an LLC in CA simply due to the franchise tax and the admin burden here.

For instance, in your example (btw, we have had multiple occasions where this happens in the past few years) if you paid $200,000 for the house, put $40,000 into reno, and then closing costs, commissions, etc. were $15,000 you would simply add all this up and that is your basis in the property.

I'm simply looking for advice from people seasoned in this field and to try to continue gaining as much knowledge as possible.

Always amazes me when a design professional (Architect/Engineer) is required or needed on a project, out of all the costs, that is the one that is needed to be cut or drastically lessened.

Good property management companies do tend to charge fees on multiple things on top of their monthly rent percentage cut.

Again as @Michael Plaks mentioned this is not a political forum, there is a chance if the Republicans win there could be a tax cuts and jobs act 2.

I don't know the cost of your fridge, but my CPA would simply expense it.The funny story is a rehabbed a house, bought appliances in a refrigerator, hot water tank and depreciated the entire rehab over 27.5 years.  

It's understandable why many investors and/or accidental landlords would opt to simply self-manage.

There is simply way to many things that can go wrong building a new home with zero experience.