I own a duplex in Clermont, FL just outside of Orlando and initially wanted to split water meters between the two units, but the cost and amount of work were higher than expected.

House hacking with an FHA loan is a great way to minimize living costs while building equity, or you could invest in an out-of-state rental for steady cash flow.

I have called the office number dozens of times, but it always seems to be busy.

Sights are set on all types of REI, but this will be a great start for us.I have been in the mortgage business for over 20 years.

I’m pretty handy with tools and business minded.

More work, more time but you can take advantage of a nice cost segregation / bonus depreciationThis is the truth! 

If you do find that the costs to maintain the investment property are too substantial and you'd rather sell down the road, it would qualify for a 1031 exchange since the property was held for investment use.

I use the terms -  "corporate furnished rentals",  "short-term rentals",  and talk about my target clients-  Business travelers, traveling nurses, traveling healthcare workers.#6  Knowledge -  Know why STR is better for the landlord than traditional rentals.   

So, get busy on your listings. 

A CPA who specializes in partnership issues can also likely talk through these issues with you.3) Depending on the size of the deal - Keep It Simple - the number of really complex agreements that come across my desk for a $500k property is crazy, and it ends up costing as much to do those tax returns as a comparable $5m deal