Big red flag would be her telling you not to come to town.

@John Zhang If your wife qualifies for Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) and materially participates in managing rental properties, there is no limit on the amount of rental losses, including depreciation, that can offset your W-2 income.

Buying a second home to rent out is a solid strategy, but be sure you understand the cash flow, including mortgage, taxes, and potential vacancies.

I'm offended that nobody included me in in this conversation.

I purchased a duplex in Saginaw from them in late 2023 and should have seen the red flags from the start.An early red flag was when my contact Katee was doing a video walk-through of the property that I ultimately purchased.

Charge the tenants a higher rent rate and include utilities with their rent.

In your case, changing the property from a rental to your primary residence constitutes a change in use.The depreciation recapture will be calculated based on the fair market value of the building at the time of conversion, not including the land value.Since you're tearing down the existing structure, the entire amount of depreciation taken over the past two years will likely be recaptured, as the building's value at conversion will effectively be zero.The recaptured amount will be taxed as ordinary income, up to a maximum rate of 25% for residential rental property (Section 1250 property).

Since rental losses are typically passive, the best way to offset W-2 income is through Real Estate Professional Status (REPS) (750+ hours) or Short-Term Rentals (STRs) (100+ hours and more time than anyone else managing the property), which allow real estate losses, including depreciation, to offset active income.A cost segregation study accelerates depreciation, generating large upfront deductions.

Does the contract include a monetary damages provision?

Your 'cost' should include everything, from land purchase, soft costs, holding costs, and hard costs.