I inherited the home I had been living in from my mother which needs some repairs in order to be rental ready- no mortgage on it.

You must show some type of proof that you work remotely and plan to live in the home.

I began educating myself and exploring ways to achieve financial freedom as soon as possible, which led me to real estate investing.

You should have appreciation over 3 years which is good, but why didn't you keep up on repairs of the house your family lives in?

Leaving aside the equity built into the property which would likely be net $200k added to parcel.- Assume - second position HELOAN on primary for full $300k (lots of equity) for 15 years at 9% = $3,050 payment per month.

You or tenant need to have an escrow account set up that pays you monthly.

To determine if the expense should be classified as a capital improvement or a deductible repair, the context of the expense is very important.An example is, if an item of expenditure is part of a general plan of modernization, renovation or rehabilitation to equipment or other business property, it typically must be capitalized even though on its own it would be currently deductible.According to IRS Code, expenses that you must capitalize are those that:Materially increase valueSubstantially prolong useful life (including replacement of deteriorating assets)Adapt the property to a new or different useHowever, you are allowed to deduct expenses and fees for routine maintenance and repairs that help keep the property in efficient operating condition.

Find an Ohio lawyer to not only defend you on the government charges but to go after the contractor.How much real estate experience do you have?

Just speaking personally, and not knowing anything about rank breeze, I don't think you need any other platform to help you out unless you have a horrible location?

@Juan Alvarez hindsight is 20/20, but you should have listed it for sale vacant - which would have given you a large buyer pool!