@Geoff Engel depending on what amount of available cash you are starting with and what you ultimately want to achieve will help determine your path.

I’m currently in the save all of money phase, I want a couple years of solid savings and some education before I get started, I’m 33 and have been working construction my whole life so this will be a much different career path for me.

If you aren't going to set up the LLC correctly, for asset protection structuring, you might as well buy it in your personal name.

Asking in the correct forum will get a better response.Read the RULES!

You will have to verify those yourselves to ensure you end up with correct operating expenses.Quote from @Andrew Newcomb: Just following up on this in case anyone is still following:I learned about "cap rate" and "cash on cash" metrics in the BP learning articles and watched a couple vids on the BP rental calculator showing how it calcs those metrics for a prop (you have to add the details like loan info, expenses, etc). very cool tool.

@Joshua RobinsonIt seems like we’re on similar paths!

You also get peace of mind knowing it's done correctly, that you're not missing any deductions and that you won't get audited.Good luck. 

Another example is that with a tax auction it is common for all the interested parties to not be notified 100% correctly meaning they could in theory come back later and try to reverse the sale and take the property back!

If you don't do correctly courts will throw it out and you will have wasted a lot of time.Good luck!

I would hope he/she values their reputation and future business more than a couple months rent on two properties.Don't despair, there is a path forward out of this.