Quote from @Gregory Wilson: A few things there, Brendan.First, an LLC with you as a member and your (wife, son, pal, etc.) partner as a 1% member will file a Form 1065 which is about one tenth as likely to be audited by the IRS as a Form 1040 with a Schedule E rental activity (which I presume you will attempt to show is an active business).Second, you want an LLC because when your local Alabama handyman drives his girlfriend's uninsured truck into a van load of U of A medical school interns on I-22 when he goes  to get some shingles for your roof, on your business, you don't lose everything you have or ever will have to an uninsured claim. 

Most deals I work, I find that the most inexperienced party in a real estate transaction will end up losing 4-10% of the value of the home in the transaction because they don't know what they are doing. 

Quote from @Brandon Croucier: The loans are available but nobody wants to do them.There always seems to be something wrong with the properties, as lenders we just can't make enough $ for our time.9/10 Borrowers also complain about the "excessive fees" for the loan amount.If you are okay with paying 8k in closing costs then the loan is available. 

Property damage, excessive wear and tear, but paying, that PM has an incentive to look the other way, don't they. 

Congrats on "not losing" money on your first investment property. 

Seller was behind on pay HOA payments and in risk for losing the property.

You will lose the capital gains exclusion by doing that.

Meaning that if you fund a $5K EMD and then decide not to close you lose the EMD, or you pay for an inspection up front and risk missing out on the deal while you're waiting for the report.

if it is unsecured loan that is the consequence, you lose they entire thing. as far as tax write off, sorry but none.

I am still not sure how he gets positive cash flow while repaying 5 year loan back, unless he charges buyer in excess of 17% for 30 yr fixed loan and pays very low interest to PML lender.