A solid pre-screening of the contractor upfront that spells out the expectations should somewhat reduce or eliminate the question of one side bailing out on the other.

.✅ Investors - Keep detailed records of ALL rental property expenses to reduce your taxable income - helping your CPA spot additional tax saving opportunities.Imperative to use a CPA who is well versed in Real Estate tax code.My CPA is just that - DM me to get his contact information....

This streamlines operations, reduces administrative burdens, and retains liability protection.

Vehicle expenses are one of the major costs to consider, so living nearby helps reduce those expenses and saves you time.

A cash purchase, added to my portfolio, reduces my levergage ratio on my real estate portfolio, but does not bring it to zero of course as I am not paying off existing low rate mortgages on rentals. 

If you have rental(s) or plan to get one and want to decide between long/mid and short-term rental strategies taxes do play a roll if you have high W2 income you want to try and reduce you tax burden. 

@Andy LanyiGood comments on how to reduce tax bill. 

Try to reduce the number of problems you can think of to a manageable level, or instead of a 5 bedroom place maybe go a little smaller with a 4 or 3 bedroom that is generally more manageable and not pack people in like sardines.  

I'm out of debt, don't really plan on using my card much except for emergencies but the recovering spendthrift and the riskier investor sides of me - are curious if I should call the company back and ask for them to r...

My concern with the home equity loan strategy is I'd still have the first home mortgage, the equity loan, and a new mortgage (albeit reduced from the down payment).