I invested as a sophisticated investor, although I have no professional accreditations.

My lease requires professional carpet cleaning, which would cost more than $500 for a home of that size.Yes, it's reasonable to reduce the cost because she was such a long-term tenant.

Take full advantage of available tax incentives by working closely with a tax professional.

Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

Readers should seek professional advice.

@Victor Yang To use the rental losses to offset any active income (W2), you'd have meet Real Estate Professional status (which would be difficult to do with a W2 job because you'd have to work more on real estate than any other job to qualify) OR have an AGI of $150K or less.

Readers should seek professional advice.

Painting, for instance- an amatuer could take their time and paint a house over the course of a couple weeks and do a great job, but a professional crew could do the entire job in a day. 

Here are a few do’s and don’ts that saved me time and headaches:✅ Do invest in professional photos.❌ Don’t ignore guest communication—automate it!

One key takeaway for future projects is the value of hiring professional painters.