(Tuckpointing in progress without permit)Center stairwell - treads are loose, deck boards are rotting, and tiles are missingHoles in wallsExterminate roachesReplace 6 hot water tanks per violation only, no electricalThe rest of the citations and violations are cosmetic and practical things.

A common practice, in my experience.

I like it a lot and I find I am suprised by structure and the help I can get in areas I am not confortable with (mainly accounting).My hopes, then are to, non-aggresively for now, start buying more properties and educate myself that way through hand-ons practice.

I don't want to get nailed for practicing real estate without a license so I wonder if anybody has any suggestions on how I should do this.

Also it is near a major university and several miles from the Washington D.C. border.Heat -> I can't tell if they share heat or what but I know that the heat bill is on the tenants, not the landlordWater -> Your probably right on this because there is a total of 7 bedrooms between the 3 units so the water is probably higher than my estimate..Management -> Most of the analysis I look at assumes a 10% management fee; is it standard practice to include that fee as well?

Tim and I regularly support each other in our individual law practices and do a lot of business together.

I've been getting a lot of practice lately at being patient. :)

Also from a practical point of view...a "pitbull" who is a service dog, is going to be 1,000 times better behaved than any breed that is not a service dog.  

 I have been using this realtor for a few years on and off and I put a offer in on a house and on the buyer tenant agency contact they slipped in the contract that any "for sale by owner homes and any new construction homes she must appear with me on showing to represent me which I did not find out until after we signed all the paperwork, if not buyer, which would be me, must pay all the brokers fees.Is this common practice to include things like this?

Best practice is this: Do your initial walk through with the seller, get them to sign the contract and find your buyer.