A little over 15 years ago, in the late spring of 2009, I was a brand spanking new real estate agent coming off of a miserably failed real estate investment venture.

I recently purchased a 2 unit property as owner occupied with one unit already rented out. 3 months after closing, I was laid off due to a restructure at my company, so I decided to rent out the other unit my girlfriend and I planned to live in.

Hey Andrew, welcome to the Forums.That’s awesome you’ve been learning about real estate since high school—starting early will really pay off.

Sounds like there were some lean years but your persistence has paid off big time in terms of appreciation on both rents and home value.

To off-set the depreciation recapture, it would seem reasonable for me to request a concession (e.g., more shares) that's outlined in the Operating Agreement.

Depends on which state you're considering.This is just off the top of my head and far from an exhaustive list of considerations.

My understanding is an E2 Visa is an investor Visa (ie. you need to buy a business) OR you can piggyback off an existing E2 holder. 

Could you put it on a CC and pay it off within the billing cycle with either your income or selling some stock if absolutely necessary?

Now many escrows will require that the seller sign off on the EMD release, which can be frustrating since most contracts say it should be a unilateral function (buyer automatically gets their EMD back if they cancel within the option period), but if a seller chooses to be a jerk and not sign it, the EMD could be frozen in escrow, so don't use your rent money for it. 

One lesson I’ve learned so far is that patience and thorough due diligence always pay off, whether it’s with property acquisitions or selecting the right team to work with.I’d love to hear more about your journey and what areas of real estate you’re looking to focus on.