Section 162 prohibits deducting of educational expenses if they qualify you for a new trade or business.

And for anyone who says we have bad contractors, consider that every builder has a construction manager, who does nothing but keep jobs moving, coordinating between trades and monitoring quality.I am a die-hard real estate investor, so it takes me quite a bit to say this: given the remote burden on your ROI, maybe an S&P500 index fund will deliver you better returns for much less headache?

They may have credit from all their trade lines that they also don't pay until the house is closed.   

Median earnings among Austin residents rose 32% in the five-year span and trade-exports grew 34% within the same time period.Mesa, Arizona was named the No. 1 best economic boomtown in America, earning a score of 66 points.

A lot of tenant issues are not that large and can be fixed by jack of all trades people.

So the question is, does your rental activity qualify as a trade or business or just a passive investment? 

@Karolina Powell, if you are going to make investment decisions based on someone saying a small market property is worth a 6-8 cap rate, do I have some things you will want to see...Everyone should have a general rule of thumb, and Austin may be correct, or he may be way off.Mixed use can be hard to value in any area unless there are other trades.  

Trade up.2024 will actually be more exciting, as balloon payments and anyone with an ARM loan comes due. 

You can trade vol just in different areas, real estate isn't one unless you're deep with money. 

Another path to consider is to sell them under a 1031 exchange and trade into higher-value real estate.