If out-of-state offers significantly better returns, ensure you do thorough research and build a reliable local team.

Do your homework before committing to ensure you’re getting real value.3.

Focus on smaller single-family homes, condos with low HOA fees, or multi-family properties in these regions, and build a reliable local team of agents, property managers, and other professionals to ensure a smooth investing experience.

Ensure you have an itemized invoice from the cleaner, which can help justify the deduction.Reasonable Deductions: Long-term tenants often leave normal wear and tear, so I recommend being lenient on minor issues.

In addition to a voucher, we require that the tenant be able to show income at least 1.5 time the monthly rent, as opposed to our regular tenants who must show 3.5 time monthly rent.

Both properties have a substantial amount of equity that’s essentially sitting idle.Would it be a good idea to tap into this equity (through a HELOC, cash-out refinance, etc.) to fund future fix-and-flip projects or purchase additional rental properties?

@Joe Michaels, What a lot of investors will do is to use the 1031 exchange as @Michael Plaks said, isto actually "acquire" additional depreciable basis. 

An additional benefit of a detailed engineering-based Cost Segregation Study is that it can increase potential insurance premium savings as well as provide support for the property tax appeals process.

Ensure you account for expenses like maintenance, vacancy, or capital expenditures.

Every property i use it i make additional tweaks.