In addition, I've been renting out two rooms in my place for about four years at an average return of $750 a month.I got within striking distance of paying off the mortgage this year, but decided to invest in liquid index funds and keep the mortgage interest deduction coming.

Realtors used to be able to market/list/sell low priced property profitably by use of a net listing, which allows a broker the opportunity to make a greater percentage commission than the standard 6 %.  

No, paying off your mortgage is not tax deductible.  

From my opinion, HELOCs seem to be a great vehicle for someone who needs cash for a temporary or short term basis, in this situation you can even get an added bonus of only paying interest and deducting the full amount on your taxes, but for an investor who likes to buy and hold long term and lock in risk without variable rates I don't think this is the best option.

I would guess the broker is offering a standard appraisal price, but something like this would typically cost a bit more than a standard appraisal. 

Unfortunately we as a society have come to fear holding ourselves and others responsible to a higher standard.

Is this the standard and in your experiences please, what are the advantages and disadvantages of allowing / not allowing petsAlso, what is the best way to screen prospective renters?

Personally, I was just going to spend a lot of money that I may never get back to make a point for myself and other people, using the appeals processes for lack of following constitutional standards (My husband and I are considering it an investment in our lovely country, the USA).

Also when you put the house under contract are you using a standard purchase contract form?

Others disagree, but you can read those debates here and decide for yourself.Pretty much the only difference you'll have from a tax perspective is that in an LLC you may have an additional deductible expense for maintaining the LLC with the Secretary of State, an additional expense to file a tax return and more formalized bookkeeping and corporate governance duties.PS - I am right up the road from you in Arvada.