In my jurisdiction I would leave a unit empty indefinitely before renting to anyone on any form of government assistance.

Hi Geoffry, I am using assured automation flow meters but I still haven't sprung for the wireless gateway  yet (I'm still spending all my money buying properties) but I still hope to soon.

When I have previously checked into this with my accountant it seems their are very specific tests to pass to be considered a materially participating passive investor, namely that you must spend half of your time and at least 750 documented hours in passive real estate to qualify to deduct depreciation. 

Some make it sound like a full time job, I would say I don't spend more than 2-3 hours a week managing his property, even in the harsh winters of Boston.No LLC costs, etc.

My live-in property maintenance guy assisted a lot.

I don't know how much I trust him personally, but he did make some good points, one of which was using SFR as an Assisted Living Rental.

She could, but her actual response was “I only have one year left of grad school, I’ll make it work” which means “I’ll spend more time away as to not cause an issue with the landlord” so I suppose the landlord wins!

Hi bp family my name is SeQuann I’m 27 years old i live in Washington DC and I just got approved for my first mortgage 450k not sure how to spend it...I would like buy a investment property I’m really considering out-of-state investing bc this area is getting expensive not sure I will buy a home or small apartment building any good ideas out there ?

Since then, my mother's health has declined and I am spending more and more time in Tahoe.

You will need to do a lot of networking to get "the same level of support" as a realtor gets.Regardless of which path you choose to pursue, you will spend money out of pocket (if you don't have a part time job) to cover the costs of doing business.