The first house that I bought was 17 years old, 3 br, 1.5 bath, brick ranch house with hardwood floors, Andersen windows, ceramic tile baths, gas heat and a brand new roof. 

Unkempt lawns, trashy or broken down vehicles, mattresses and trash on empty lots, boarded up houses, bars on windows, dealers and hookers on the corners, the lack of stores or gas stations, occupied properties are dilapidated, etc.Or when Google maps shows stuff like this:

Roads, water, sewer, gas, electric, etc..I'm also here for any discussion on any other items that might be of note, trying to learn as much as possible on this front.

Yes, you can deduct related expenses including gas, loan interest, insurance, etc. using the actual vehicle expenses method to deduct auto expenses for your rental or other businesses. 

The best defense against rats entering your property is to seal off all entry points (holes, cracks in walls), remove food sources (dirty dishes, food left in trash cans), and water sources (like leaks). 

What the city housing clerk is telling me is that there was a water leak from behind the sink pedestal on the second floor bathroom that has been running for a week. 

You could easily be $100k in for water/gas/power/sewer if you’re talking 4+ lots. 

But, if a cost-seg study is done on the old property, you can manage Sec. 1245 recapture tax by doing a study on the new property to confirm it has as much or more Sec. 1245 property.You cannot swap a fully depreciated gas station for a raw piece of land and avoid recapture - you must replace all the 1245 and 1250 property.3) OZ - Sure you can defer your capital gains for a few years into an OZ fund, but the magic of OZ investments is the ability to achieve tax-exempt growth after a 10-year holding period.

So, if your property has all bills paid by the tenant, you will deduct from the voucher amount the set amount by bedroom count for items like water, electric, gas, etc.

Both bathrooms need a complete remodel as well as the kitchen, the ceiling in 2 of the bed rooms are bowed (previous roof leak that was fixed) so new ceiling drywall, appliances, flooring, and paint throughout.