I know was looking in a defined neighborhood and found an agent to aide in the search.

If you are going to be active, and have high conviction in a project with a clearly defined entry/exit strategy then using a HELOC is one of the better sources of capital.But, I continue to have my stance that, on average, folks who use a HELOC to fund the down payment for long-term investments will eventually find themselves in a situation where their portfolios drain their personal financial situations, rather than fueling them. 

The fee may be levied at a maximum rate of 2% based on the income of residents and profits of businesses located within the boundaries of the Jerome Village Community Authority each as further defined in the Declaration.

I thought that conventional wisdom was to buy materials, but I think your points 1&3 would be a great comboTO ANY ONE - @Bruce Woodruff brings up a great point about defining scope.

Those situations do not define us but how we respond to them does (taking responsibility and owning it vs running from it or placing onus on someone or something else). 

One thing I didn't like about FF's calendar was that you can't define a time period that you will rent. 

Second, the building code, IRC/IBC, defines a townhouse as zero lot line (zero setback) homes that are on their own separate parcels and share a common wall.

This should be defined in the lease agreement as to how it's covered (by the tenant or landlord) and how they're switched over when turnover occurs.2) Not sure if I'm understanding correctly, but any fees paid to the property manager should be separate. 

Here is the rule from the IRS regarding length of stay for short term rentals:As defined by Treasury Regulation Sec. 1.469-1T(e)(3)(ii)(A)The average period of customer use is 7 days or lessThe average period of customer use is 30 days or less.

Some of the simpler asset protection solutions would include the following:  having max funds allowed in qualified retirement plan or IRA rather than personal as retirement plans are exempt assets in Federal and most state bankruptcies; investing through an annuity if your state (Florida and Texas for example) exempts insurance policies and defines annuities as an insurance policy; taking advantage of maximum homestead exemption in your state; use of corporations or more popular LLC or Series LLC to limit liability to the entity holding the asset; reasonable liability insurance if available; separating asset ownership from asset management; etc.I can design a simple, cost effective asset protection strategy of up to about $5million with little cost IF the individual resides in Texas or Florida.