If you're taking with tenants, you should do your research on eviction laws in your area and whether local or federal eviction moratoriums will prevent you from evicting the tenants if they don't leave voluntarily.  

We do a 2x per year preventative maintenance inspection.   

From the original landlord, It did not affect insurance.The original landlord placed the unit under covid protection to prevent mortgage payments while having this issue.

I think if you do that, you'll realize that there really isn't anything preventing you from starting with larger properties if that's where you want to end up.

You can check the sewer line as well, they often get tree roots in them and require replacing.You can buy a home without doing any of this but this will give you a better idea of the issues you are going to run into after you close on the house.

It's on the second page of Schedule C, and it prevents the problem that you're concerned about.

My county tax assessor didn't let COVID prevent them from raising property taxes in our county.    

Don't want to get into any fair housing complaints and I also don't want to prevent anyone else from applying. 

If you are going to remove it the landscaping crew should be able to give you an estimate to cut the tree down to the stump vs grinding/pulling roots out.

If there's a junior lien holder (2nd position) on a property that is going into foreclosure, can that lien holder make a short sale offer on the property, or is there something that prevents that?