Over the last 30-40 years, local governments have made government "work" by passing along any increase in the cost of running government to property owners AND by not paying pension and retiree healthcare debt.The suburbs are in a varying state of mess now. 

There are so many variable to answer that question. as Colton S. said, best way to get an accurate answer would be to talk to a CPA about YOUR specific situation.Some things will vary by state, the entity that you used to purchase the property, if you could be considered a RE professional etc...Here are some things that COULD POTENTIALLY be deducted (again, talk to a CPA):Car millageRenovations (again, not all things)professional fees (i.e. for realtors associations)permitshome officeinspection feesThe challenge is that you can claim anything you want but at the end of the day you will have to face that IRS auditor and explain why a $3000 watch is a valid RE expense and when he doesn't buy it face the consequences...This is why it's better to consult a CPA ahead of time to get your tax planning optimized.

That said, your friend should approach a broker and quote alternative insurance carriers because it can vary significantly.  

If you plan to grow your business significantly you might think of creating a project oversight department and have a lead person in charge of that with a training program in place to better manage a larger business through people with varying project management skills and experience.

Obviously each state, county, and city may vary on closing costs since each area is different but this is a general figure.

@Scot Howat - Exposure of his experience is good therapy for him, and that's ok.But, as @Steve Smith said "Takes a lot of courage to post that you lost"So, as I have said before some people are comfortable about airing their failures and others are not.Our discourse will end at infinity without any wrong or right affirmation.I look forward to reading and/or commenting on your future posts.

I believe four of the courses had online questions that varied in amount and chapters.

Typically the cost of starting and maintaining an LLC are minimal, however this varies state-to-state.

This seems to be an elusive answer on the web and answers can greatly vary from site to site, especially if the source is really trying to market themselves to begin with.

It will vary by unit size and family size.