I thought it would be beneficial to learn even more, plus gain the ability to tour houses and make offers without a middle-man... if I can make some money on the side helping other buy/sell, that's a bonus too.

Can somebody explain to me how the investor can play things safe when taking out commercial loans?

  ( if less than 50%, cannot use section 179 expense, but can use a  bonus depreciation) You can either claim a bonus depreciation or a section 179 depreciation.

The safe play for me is probably to just buy an Investment property in Buffalo (I already have a good relationship with a PM here who would be a great resource for me), but for some reason my heart is in Ellicottville - the idea of being able to use a property as a vacation getaway for a week or two a year and then rent it out the remainder of the year sounds super appealing.

I'm in a position where I can leave my job and live for a bit on a pretty decent bonus.

You can also consider doing cost seg and bonus depreciation on another deal you buy this year to offset the gains.

If you don't want to buy anything, attend sessions you are interested in plus lunch presentations and take lots of notes.Now, if you decide on getting any of the guru courses, many of them will throw extra bonuses and stuff at the event.

If the seller won't play ball, you might be best served walking from this deal and seeking more suitable space for your intended use.

Never count on appreciation but invest in a cash flowing property in an area in the path of progress so that if appreciation happens it's a nice bonus!

Yep, it happens.....serial non payers of their electric bill go steal a meter when the power company takes theirs after they have been caught “playing with it”.