The rental had ratty furniture, a record player prominently featured in the marketing but it had no speakers, missing basics items in the kitchen, lots of drunks in the concrete hallways that reverberated right into the bedroom at 2am, a strong odor of urine outside, and more.We have super hosts in this forum that have hundreds of 5-star reviews and are masters of the craft, but I look at their rentals and see they don't have any artwork on the walls, decor is basic, they do nothing to make the guest feel welcome, etc. 

As a new investor, your story is a powerful reminder of how important it is for me to be meticulous in protecting my investments.

Why not work with an agent to craft a strong offer if it’s a good deal, don’t just lowball for the sake of lowballing.

This is something you will, as you already are, have to continue to research and plan out meticulously 

Let's be the best we can be in this great craft Mike!

Recommendations for you would be to keep super meticulous records of all the costs you’re putting into the property, so your tax pro can make sure you’re capturing everything 1) correctly and 2) in the most tax advantaged way. 

While I can't prove this definitively, the posting behavior strongly suggests this isn't coming from a typical satisfied customer.What's interesting is how this latest post is carefully crafted to rank well in Google searches for people who are searching for education on land investing.

However, it’s crucial to track and document all hours worked meticulously to demonstrate material participation if audited.The CPA’s suggestion that your activity would be treated as passive could stem from the involvement of a property manager, as their role could make it appear that you are not the primary manager of the rental.

You'll need to invest hundreds of hours into the craft before you start seeing solid results. 

Quote from @Senami Craft: Hi @Ryan Cousins!