So, you get a tax deduction on the purchase price.

You the investor and owner of the properties will care about your investment the most, not the agent, not the contractor, not the property manager (they can screen tenants but they still get paid but the repair costs are being deducted out of your rental income and more costs if you need to evict a tenant).I've heard great things about upstate NY and would consider looking in that area or within a 2 hour drive of where you live (not sure if you're near NYC).

Key points include:Security Deposits: In Indiana, there’s no legal cap on security deposits, but you must return the deposit (minus any valid deductions) within 45 days of the tenant vacating the property.Evictions: Follow the formal process carefully.

These properties can appreciate in value and offer tax benefits like depreciation and mortgage interest deductions while financing terms are often favorable.

The interest would be tax deductible due to interest tracing rules. 

Solar has an energy credit and Starlink is deductible as business expense. 

The other benefits I see are debt paydown (done by tenants) and tax deductions.

My questions are;Do I have to take expenses as a deduction in a year in which they occurred even if I do not get income until the following year  I have other rental property, but my taxable income on them after expenses is only gonna be about $5000 So is there anyway to roll over expenses to the next year since I cannot deduct the remaining 15,000 and expenses against my W-2 income?

The tax advantages of buying/holding gas stations are pretty great.Many of the components of gas stations including pumps, tanks, external parking areas, and other equipment are classified as either 5 or 15 year property so you can bonus depreciate a lot of it (minus the land value) and get significant deductions in year 1.With the 2025 bonus depreciation rate at 40%, a $1 million gas station acquisition could still lead to $100K+ in year 1 deductions depending on the specifics of your deal.

all materials, all labor costs to others, Not you, utilities, interest payments, permits, licenses, auto/truck expenses, tools needed are all deductable.