I also realized last night (after I made my original post, of course) we could do a HELOC on our primary residence.

Improved, not made worse.

Regardless when that edit was made to the contract , they can still use that against you as a landlord breaching contract. 

I just finished The Book On Rental Property Investing by Brandon Turner, and it made me even more excited and determined about getting into this business.

When it comes to real estate, here's a general list of eligible assets and their depreciable lifespans that you should know: Residential Rental Property = 27.5 yearsThis includes any building or structure where 80% or more of its gross rental income is from residential units.That means:- Apartment buildings- Single-family rental homes- Duplexes, triplexes, and quadplexes- Mobile homes (used for residential rental)- Any kind of residential lodging facility where the primary purpose is long-term rentalCommercial Property = 39 yearsThis includes non-residential properties like:-Office buildings-Retail stores and shopping centers-Warehouses-Industrial complexes-Hotels and motels that do not qualify as residential rental propertyLand Improvements = 15 yearsThese include sidewalks, roads, fencing, some landscaping, and parking lots that are separate from the building.Personal Property = 5 or 7 yearsPersonal property used in a rental activity usually has a 5 or 7-year life.This includes most furniture, appliances, carpeting and various machinery.Qualified Improvement Property (QIP) = 15 yearsGenerally, this includes any improvements made to the interior of a non-residential building after the building was placed in service, excluding elevators, enlargements, and the internal structural framework.Computers and Related Peripheral Equipment = 5 yearsVehicles = 5 yearsNote that the land itself is not depreciable.

No improvements have been made, but nothing has deteriorated either.

We have talked about things such as rent by the room and acknowledge that the operating model will likely be very different while living in the property vs. when we move out.I think the point you made about assumable loans is very helpful to get into a property you might not otherwise be able to afford.

The cinderblocks are made there, so they are inexpensive.

Also not all deals on FB are bad deals - they just need to be vetted like every other deal.Note: This post is being made based on my opinion and I was not under duress or a threat of lawsuit.  

On top of that, many policies have become more strict (especially in the last few years) with replacement cost language because replacement cost estimates did not keep up with inflation for a period of time AND/OR replacement costs on many older properties had skyrocketed so it made more sense to calculate replacement values with functionally equivalent rather than exact materials.