I tried to include their phone here but it isn't allowed. 

If you live in one unit and rent out the other, you can break even or even have positive cash flow.

If they break them it is less expensive to replace a rod then a door   For showers use a door but a high quality frameless shower door.   

Almost everyone here on BP will tell you that they wish they had started earlier, myself included.4.

The 1099 is issued to you and the IRS to make sure that you are reporting rental income on your tax return.I would use the annual property management statement to report the income and expenses per property.The property management statement will likely include property management fees charged to you and repairs made on your behalf.

Can I use Buildium for bookkeeping including tracking all transactions per LLC including mortgages and can it produce detailed reports at tax time?

Your analysis goes to finding out the current market price (which includes commissions) and subtracting the commission, typically 5 or 6 percent.No sane seller would care about your investment returns.

I know it is annoying when some guests do a bit of damage or make a mess.We had some guests break a window, break the futon, break a handrail bracket, cigarette butts on the deck (we have a strict no smoking anywhere on the property), leaving garbage here and there, not cleaning up after their dogs....All I do is fix the problem and charge the guests for the damage.

I drove from Alabama over 10 hours to get to texas for spring break and drove for probably 30-40 hours total in the span of the week. 

A few strategize people use to attempt to cashflow or at least break even is rent the house by the room instead of renting out to a family.