There is one called "principles of real estate: accounting and taxation" that is decent but unless you have accounting knowledge before hand, you will not learn all you need from books.

Again, my real original question with starting this post was about whether its a good idea to pay cash for a deal from a taxation perspective.

@Anthony HollowayBefore you invest in any place , you should mostly take into account, property taxes, taxation on rental income and whether or not the state is landlord friendly.

The even better part is that you can do an exchange, step up your basis, and delay taxation indefinitely if you learn to play the game right.

However, it is still possible to defer federal capital gains taxation on property sold by using a 1031 tax deferred exchange.  

Thanks to various factors like taxation etc., but this is and has been an established fact for pretty much forever.

Once I get a handle on how to conduct REI in Canada, then I will be brave enough, to take on Corporate USA structures, big & expensive USA accountants, USA Bank Accounts and the IRS (double-taxation from what little I presently know) - only because the USA is still on sale, (albeit not as much as it was), otherwise, I'd skip the hassle, and just move directly to vacation properties in the sunnier & warmer climates.

I would prioritize finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation over one that is local.There are 20+ accountants on this message board who specialize in real estate taxation.

;At home, find yourself and accountant and attorney familiar with both real estate and cross-border taxation / corporate organisation.

You may get some useful info on assessment and taxation from the marylands website.