I have a good friend who wholesales boats/yachts using assignment of contract. 

This could be to your advantage, depending on if there were other offers.Take a trip to design review of your city's permitting process.

Hi All,I own properties in Bay Area at CA.I recently got a letter from a lawyer claiming that I was negligent with maintaining the sidewalk, which resulted in his client trip and fall over it.There are no mention of what type of injury and damage.The letter show a half a foot section that is more than 1 inch in elevation.

Can I expense the costs of the trip to Phoenix and the gas/oil change I paid for on the trip back?

We have it managed by Evolve, but we also have to be up there every week to make sure things are clean and in order (90 mile round trip) because the cleaners aren't amazing and the options for most service work in that area is hit or miss.

Occasional, very limited travel expenses where the trip can be 100% attributed to the business of the plan can become expenses of the plan, but it is probably better not to go there.  

Here it is typical to see $125 - $145 per hour, plus a trip charge.

If it's an hour away, that's a 2-hour round trip any time you have to be at the property.

EXAMPLE: You use the car to look for potential flips, business trips and to go to business meetings; BUT you also use the car as a DOOR DASHER on the side.  

On one trip down, we actually saw the house across the street being remodeled.