As a member of the National Association of Residential Property Managers (NARPM), I am given the opportunity to partake in random surveys. 

I especially can't tell you in a "Non Attorney state" like Texas.All that said use the following for entertainment purposes only :)I would include (Price/Type of financing/Dates for financing to be secured/EMD/Closing dates/Contingencies (Inspections/Pest/Radon/survey).

Here are some terms from the realtor:$200K with $2K EMDSeller pays title policyBuyer pays for Amends if neededSeller pays for $500 Home WarrantyBuyer pay for Survey if they do not have one to provide (because this is really just a requirement of buyers lender)Buyer pay $50 for 5 day optionWe DO NOT say AS-IS purchase so if something mediocre comes up in inspection we have some wiggle room to ask for it.Seller allows 21 day third party financing time-frame for contingent on loan and we also ask for an appraisal contingency.Are there questions that I should be asking that I'm not?

Out of that meeting we decided to get the new survey and drawing done and long story short, with the new drawing it fits the subdivision requirements.

Typically a final requires final engineering; this may take an as-built survey of the grading and approval. 

#1.....websites are often inaccurate....so in a hot market we can help you beat others to hot new listings....for example...CS--status Coming Soon is often in MLS, but not on the public websites.I would also say that finding the house is about 10% of what is involved in the process......that might even be the easy part.....there is much more to it, such as writing a contract, negotiating, knowing what is standard and what might beat other buyers offers, inspections, trusted trades, working thru repairs, surveys, title, lenders, closing....and 1000 other significant items/issues.Tax write offs probably don't matter if you do it personally or thru LLC....talk to your CPA, but most LLCs are for asset protection, not giving you any different deductions.

Essentially, considering my situation, should I be looking for a "buy and hold" multi tenant home in my backyard (long island, the boroughs, jersey) or should I consider out of state investments (i've been surveying Philly, Durham, Raleigh).

I highly recommend him.In January of 2019, I performed a site survey with a small company out of Tracy (unfortunately there are no longer in-business).Over approximately the next 8 months, Adam and I created a simple but elegant design for a new garage with a 1-bedroom apartment above it. 

I would also call neighbouring parks and do a rent survey to see what others are charging in the area, which will indicate where the demand is at.

(most lender fees are around $1500-2500 plus cost of appraisal $400-650 including rent survey that will normally be required on an investment property), don't be fooled by "no cost" offers, any lender can offer this by increasing the rate to cover the closing costs, so, when shopping get both a no-cost est as well as a standard cost estimate and compare the cost to the payment savings and how long it take to re-coup the difference between the options, (ie.