Even then so, you can deprecate the value of these improvements (sometimes over a very short period of time, even 1 year) so it maybe a wash.

For purposes of this paragraph (e)(3), an activity involving the use of tangible property is not a rental activity for a taxable year if for such taxable year—(A) The average period of customer use for such property is seven days or less;(B) The average period of customer use for such property is 30 days or less, and significant personal services (within the meaning of paragraph (e)(3)(iv) of this section) are provided by or on behalf of the owner of the property in connection with making the property available for use by customers;(C) Extraordinary personal services (within the meaning of paragraph (e)(3)(v) of this section) are provided by or on behalf of the owner of the property in connection with making such property available for use by customers (without regard to the average period of customer use);(D) The rental of such property is treated as incidental to a nonrental activity of the taxpayer under paragraph (e)(3)(vi) of this section;(E) The taxpayer customarily makes the property available during defined business hours for nonexclusive use by various customers; or(F) The provision of the property for use in an activity conducted by a partnership, S corporation, or joint venture in which the taxpayer owns an interest is not a rental activity under paragraph (e)(3)(vii) of this section.

I also tried Property Radar for a trial period in this time as well.

Most lenders require you to have 6 month seasoning to do a cash-out, but I do know of an option that cuts the seasoning period down to 3 months.

Buyers will be required to sign a buyer agreement prior to showings, many states operate this way already, and it can be specific to a period of time, specific property or range of shopping options the broker is to assist with. - Buyer broker commissions will be more transparent and in all likelihood begin to trend downwards.

Return on Equity: net income / equity in property Internal Rate of Return: percentage rate earned on each dollar invested for each period it is invested. 

The second thing buyers are now going to be more aware of when using an agency agreement is the tie-up period, what the agent is liable for, and if there's any relationship with the listing agent. 

I also like Schertz and Cibilo (just need to be careful with the foundation and checking it during the inspection period).

Having said that, I am getting much better at analyzing properties on my own and have a specific set of criteria a property MUST meet and perform enough due-diligence research that the chance of missing major red flags are getting smaller and smaller.And yes, as the overwhelming majority of foreclosures are either cancelled or "purchased" by the plaintiff (bank) and the limited inventory (at least in Hillsborough County) is often bid-up by neophytes or snatched up by large wholesalers and other REI firms that specialize in flipping C-class properties, there are few opportunities for us little fish.To keep myself motivated, I've been keeping a log of properties that went to third-party bidders (i.e. private buyers) which I could have bought had I been monitoring the auctions during periods when I was too busy to do so.

We can get a second home without putting anything down (VA loan), move into the school district we want and a much nicer home for our growing family:Current home (want to rent this out):One of the largest lots in the area 1/100 lots in an area with 1000's of properties that has navigable water which is our water, at 2.75%, 280k remaining $1650/month, rents $3000 mom will be lending 25k over 5 years at $500/mo payments, and we will use a property manager $300/mo = rental take home of $550/mo incomenew home (hypothetical estimates):$550k @ 7%, paying ~$3300/moWe will have a period of 9 months starting Dec 2024 where we would be at about -$100 where our older daughter goes to pre-k for $1150/mo and infant is in daycare for $1650/mo.