Main point of my post is also trying to determine if individual notes are worth it for people in my boat, who are busy and happy with other aspects of their lives... jobs, families, etc.

Ideally I would try to get a 3/4 unit property somewhere in DC proper, PG County or Montgomery County (Takoma Park/Silver Spring), live in one unit and rent out the others. 

Been listening to Real Estate Rookie and BP channel for a little bit now and this is my first time posting in the forum.I’m currently living in WA State and own a home that is under a VA Loan.

Get it going, get it live and you can always change/modify it.

They also cause a lot more moisture in the air, fogging up the mirrors a lot faster, which is annoying to live with.  

However, interest on the same debt used to pay personal living expenses, such as credit card debts, is not deductible.But, wait there's more... 

I live in California, and am looking to purchase my first rental property in Illinois.

. $10k in losses will reduce the federal tax due by $1.5-2k.However, the state tax due gets lowered by a very small amount by using passive losses to offset passive income as I assume state tax rate is quite low (I live in TX, so never worried about state tax) compared to long-term capital gains rate of 15-20%.

We have lived in the MIL and rented the rest of the home.

Minimalistic yet tasteful staging allows the buyer to see themselves living in the home.