If you're new to investing, keeping an eye on property taxes and HOA fees in this area is also key. 

We want to pull the trigger and start investing in Japan.

I wonder how they are pulling the permit for anything.

For your second question-either refinance it (you say it is mortgage free, so get a mortgage and pull out that money) or try a home equity line of credit (may not work as it is a rental).The difference in insurance quote with 5% and no coverage is ~ $1200 for the year.

There are consulting companies who do this (for a fee) and i can also share some contacts if you need some. 

I'm unsure if you would be able to combine both loans given that the HELOC is tied to a different property than the one you got traditional financing on.A work around is if you are able to purchase the new property with the HELOC at a significant enough discount, bring the property value up via renovations or additions, then refinance the property, pulling out enough money to repay the HELOC. 

Not to mention their ludicrous fees. 

Therefore, you will want to confirm that the trust company allows for investing in an LLC and the associated fees and minimim balance that applies to the IRA account.2.

So, the first question they usually ask a PMC is about fees - instead of asking about services and HOW those services are executed.EXAMPLE: PMC states they will handle tenant screening – what does that specifically mean?

Example: If a business buys an oven and it costs $5,000, and $1,000 for installation and setup, and $200 of delivery and transport fee.