But I would urge planners to consider that the Sec 263 regs they rely upon for the justification for not expensing remodeling costs is actually an exclusion section which prohibits deductions under pspecified circumstances that being that the amount was: "paid out for new buildings or for permanent improvements or betterments made to increase the value of any property or estate."

I also treated studying like a full-time job.

USDA does not.If you have a job gap (6+ months of unemployment) on an FHA loan, then you have to go back 2 years prior to the job gap AND be back to work for 6 months before you are eligible.How to avoid this? 

@Chloe Salcedo investing in real estate is not a full-time job.

They yield results, but I understand a lot of other people have jobs where they cannot spend so much time on their listings. 

Employment Growth Outpacing Housing SupplyBuffalo leads the nation in the ratio of new jobs to new homes permitted.

If they are CF positive then they will not cohnt against your DTI but will improve it...that's standard conventional guidelines barring a few exceptions.

This year’s most popular areas are known for being fast-growing cities with plenty of new development, with healthy job growth in Florida and Texas in particular.

The investors that i work with look to theses growing markets of population and jobs to make an investment that both cash flows and will find appreciation.  

If you really have gone from 3 to 200 properties this past year while having a two W2 jobs, you seem to have found your niche and doing well, good for you.