Here are the details at a high level:Purchase price: 174,000Closing costs: 2,000Down payment: 20%Rental income: 1525Monthly expenses: 487 (insurance + tax)Maintenance: 128 (1% of purchase price)10% vacancy: 150Self-managingI am not sure what interest rate to use to get the monthly mortgage amount.

So please spare me the "I'm legitimate" routine.

I don't know Cleveland, but let's say that taxes and insurance total $200/month.

I'm also hesitant to bet heavily on permanent tax deferral strategies (e.g., "buy, borrow, die") as a lot could change about the tax code over my lifetime.

Death and tax's, those are your 2 "guarantees" in life, everything else has a risk factor, a component of "chaos" in it. 

I'm a little confused about deducting real estate taxes.  

Anything y’all do that makes tax season easier?  

They may even start an actual audit of your tax return.What about private lenders then?

Why would I take commission on a house I bought and get taxed on it? 

-House was not in a trust- as I understand we will need to pay taxes on gains (parents bought it for about 12k in 1969, zillow says about 150k today)-House is not MLS-ready.