, I've hit the listings again and come upon a duplex that is included in the Urban Revitalization Plan (4A specifically); I understand there is some tax abatement on improvements up to $20,000 in 5 years on multi-families under 4 units.

In fact, I just closed a property at 7.8% without improvement in a class A neighborhood. 

In time and A LOT of practice, when you come across a good deal, you might just be able to snatch it up and wholesale it if you don't have money. 3.

HELOCs are still tax deductible under the new tax law but only for capital improvements on your personal residence.

Also I am looking forward to using the income from these properties to improve my debt to income so I can borrow more to buy more properties next year or the year after, how might this be affected by starting an LLC to manage my properties?

I pieced together a deal analysis spreadsheet and did my best to estimate the repair and maintenance items that would likely come into play over time, but I'm writing to find out practically speaking how people manage those funds.

If you're concerned about the fast traffic, maybe some kind of barrier fence along that side would improve things?  

We are looking for a property may need cosmetic improvements, but won't require a major renovation right off the bat.

I want to start getting some experience and practice running numbers on potential deals and get myself ready for when the time is right to make an offer.

Once you've created it then practice analyzing deals.