Window treatments and landscaping, for example.  

A holistic look at the the country as a whole is sometime hard when your familiar area is increasing in price or stay steady.

The idea behind this preferential tax treatment is to not penalize an individual with higher taxes if they had to sell their home to move for a job or other outstanding circumstances.

I think MA gets a bad rap as “tenant friendly”—most of the refs are simply about fair treatment, but in any case NH has a more “landlord friendly” reputation.

I've had bad and dishonest PMs that cost me well over 100% with under the table repair kick backs, selecting bad tenants that don't pay and trash the place, workmen stealing anything not bolted down like window treatments, etc., and mediocre ones who regularly ran 25% when it is all said and done.

You also need to make sure you use the second house enough for it to qualify as a personal vacation retreat.Go beyond these two holdings, and you'll find the tax treatment of real estate decidedly different.When you own rental property, the IRS classifies that as a passive investment.In general, the tax code views passive activities as those in which you do not, in the words of the IRS, "materially participate" in the investment.

Some of this may have already been covered.i think taking a more holistic approach with savings would help.

Have said roach slayer do another treatment prior to the makeready cleaners coming through again.

At the very least, rentals must be in seperate entity from flips due to different tax treatment, and ideally each property should be in a seperately entity to ensure your exposure is limited to that single property. 

You could get the Santorum treatment.