I responded by saying, well if we buy it, I'd get a survey done, to which he responded firmly, WE DO THAT ON A HANDSHAKE.

For instance, when laying out the ADU floorplan on the site, it's advisable to leave an additional 12-18" beyond the allowed 4' side and rear setbacks to avoid a costly building location survey. 

In your  opinion  what will be  the best way to survey the rental demand  in the area .

Then all files pertaining to that property go into that folder.Make folders inside the main folder based on needs titling the folder like below-Designs&Drawings-Survey-Financials (include the receipts, expenses and the spreadsheet of the comps  -Legal (contracts etc)-Contractor -Misc (Put anything here that is miscellaneous; however, if you have at least three documents related to the same topic, make a folder for them and put them in that folder. 

Reach out if you're thinking about making a trip down to survey the area.

-> we had a real estate lawyer  vetting , surveying the land , signing a notary "Bill of Sale" detailling the appliances that came with the purchase.

You can take the survey below or answer a few questions for me. 

The combination of persistently elevated prices, high interest rates and now tightening credit conditions will weigh on business investment, consumer spending and the transactions markets in the coming monthsAlmost two-thirds of chief economists believe a global recession is likely in 2023; of which 18% consider it extremely likely – more than twice as many as in the previous survey conducted in September 2022.

Do I need to get a new survey of the house? 

Repairs and improvements after that date can be expensed or depreciated based on the type of item and it's useable life, in accordance with IRS guidelines.Start-up costs are completely different...Excerpt from the Small Business Administration website:"The IRS defines “start-up costs” as deductible capital expenses that are used to pay for:1) The cost of “investigating the creation or acquisition of an active trade or business.”This includes costs incurred for surveying markets, product analysis, labor supply, visiting potential business locations and similar expenditures.2) The cost of getting a business ready to operate (before you open your doors or start generating income).