I am not good at design at all, but I do have some clients who basically copied top producing properties design and did a great job themselves. 

I am also trying to figure out what my next job would be.

Indiana has state tax too, but far lower than Ca.Since I no longer had a day job I became REI pro and cut my income tax to a fraction of what it was.

By the time we messaged folks about their furniture, haggled over price, scheduled the pickup, rented a truck, etc, we were tired.

My question is, do you recommend any strategies to help secure this property before it goes to auction, which is scheduled for a month from now? 

Under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, interest on such loans is typically deductible if used for buying, building, or substantially improving the taxpayer's home that secures the loan.

If the DSTs you are investing have additional leverage then you will receive a new depreciation schedule based on that leverage. 

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with zero or negative relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560, little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

This allows someone to handle a flip on their schedule (nights, weekends, spare minutes...).

After about a year of that, I turned that position into a full-time job that was half property management and half project management.