Simply write down your qualifications that you use to screen your tenants and you can adjust them over time, but you need to start with something. 

Also worth taking a look at cities and metros in person, although the flight and hotel/air bnb can add up, you can generally write those costs off, and in general getting on the ground and feeling the energy of a city or market can tell you a lot about the intangibles there.  

Thanks Julio, appreciate you taking the time to write.

Could you write a step by step for how to get the multiplex? 

Did you get things in writing via text or email about it being a 6 day project or was that part verbal (I think I know the answer).

It’s a great way to get your expenses paid for and sometimes even be able to write off other living expenses.

You saw the writing on the wall and took some risks.

Only reason why I accepted was because attorney said if he writes a bad check, then that would be a felony. 

With this strategy you could do a cost segregation study and write it off against your W2 income.

I'm not aware of any other real-estate related options, and outside of having a business of some sort to have write-offs, I only know of the traditional things like maxing out retirement contributions and such.