Often by the time we muscle thru all the paper work the deal falls apart.

And in my area, they tend to be cheaper than sf, easy to rent, and have appreciated nicely (few blogs about them as appreciation plays)..The key is also finding an association where you even can rent them  (allowed by condo declarations/by laws etc), and even the organizational culture needs to be open to renters (many forums on restrictions).

Would I have to declare it as a rental then?

Susanne, so what you are declaring here is you will engage in "brokering without a license???"

No escrow, no title insurance.If the sale was not a valid sale - for instance if the homeowner declared bankruptcy the night before and the lawfirm didn't know about it and then went forward with the sale - then the lawfirm sends us our money back and rescinds the sale.

Hi,I'm not up to speed with Homestead laws as they pertain to California.I am being solicited by what appears to be a private company with regards to filing for Homestead declaration status for our duplex.I heard something on a podcast a few weeks ago and so I'll have to start researching.To anyone who has current knowledge about the pros/cons and or general need to know facts about Homestead laws pertaining to California.Thanks so much in advance!

Everytime I see 2 or 3 muscle or old school cars I stop and stare at them until they are out of sight, my son does it too, as does just about everyone else since they are great to look at and usually pretty loud compared to the hybrids you are used to seeing in Cali.

I am declaring up front that this is a investment property at the time of purchase. 

You don't have really declare that you are going to potentially make money or necessarily that you are buying for an investment, at least not in NJ.Honestly, I don't see it as an issue since its pretty plain since I give people my agent business card and its obviously how I gained access to the property. 

I am in NJ and will be charged tax on the total cost of the project if I do not sign an ST-8 declaring it a capital improvement, but I would imagine that the deduction this year is more valuable than a long-term depreciation even if I do have to pay tax on it this year.