Since you're in Akron, be very careful of the area you are purchasing the 4-plex in.

Question 1: Even though we are careful to track ALL rental expenses that are paid using our personal credit cards, is that enough separation from personal accounts or MUST we open a separate credit card for each LLC? 

These tenants usually have a decent credit score and care about keeping it that way.

Did I care in the beginning ?  

Buy within your comfort level, but always know no one is going to care as much about your investment as you do, so make sure you are mitigating the risk of OOS as much as possible.

But sometimes, it takes careful selection and interviews to get the right person.

While running the business I did not cut myself a check for over a year and so as far as the irs goes technically I didn’t have an income.

Is it better to get a property management company to take care of them or split them? 

Bankers are humans too and it’s just as much our responsibility as it is theirs to make sure they take care of our needs.When in doubt, pay for additional inspections for added reassurance.  

Unless you meet the delayed financing requirements, your use of the cash out refi funds will determine your ability to deduct your interest on that new loan....be careful.