I always prefer SFR because you can always build additional rooms/ADU to increase rental income and price of the property.

Different preferences and levels of expertise.

I'd prefer not to report it my insurance company as I'm sure my premiums will increase.  

btw, I ‘m able to source same 400 sqf home lower than $11K ( including sinks / faucets / tub ) , I can send you couple of pix if you would like to see.

For couples married filing jointly, one spouse must achieve both no.1 and no. 2 on their ownDoes the size of your rental portfolio matter? 

(You can’t buy part of an LLC that owns a property, or buy in to a syndication as a regular LP.)Reach out to an expert like @Dave Foster before you buy and preferably before you even sell.

transunion offers one for free to you. once you've selected your prospective tenant, you submit their basic info (name, email, etc) into the TU site, and it asks what services you'd like: credit, background, etc. it will send them a link to complete the sensitive info like socials and such, and then charge them for the credit/ background check. or if you'd prefer to pay for it, you can select that option as well. ive been using this, pretty great so far!

I would prefer to have a cost set signed off on by a engineer that I know will stand up to an audit vs a DIY option

Kilz (Shellac based) everything in rooms and closets where you can smell it from floors to baseboards and a couple feet up the walls.   

Can you start either locally, or within a couple hours of where you live?