Educate yourself on the local market, network with other investors and agents, and always have a solid plan in place before making any investments.

what is the mortgage balance, is it current, how many payments back, what are properties selling for in the area (is his price above or below others), *how much seller financing can the seller take,* how much cash above the mortgage would seller accept, how fast does the seller want to get to the settlement table, what repairs or up-dates does the building need - you could ask if you had $10,000 to spendon improvements - what would you spend it on?

You have to spend money to completely furnish the place with espresso machines and nice furniture. 

It's 2 properties, single family homes, in the SF Bay Area.Sharing some details that might help inform the decision, let me know if anything else would be relevant.One property fully paid off, generates between $20-30k in profit after expenses (property taxes, hoa, insurance, etc).The other property is our current primary residency and would operate at a loss of about $10k/year.I plan to travel back to the US at least once a year, could that be a deductible expense with an LLC? 

What do you plan to do when you hit the cap on days rented?

Do you mind sharing your plan of action?

From my perspective I would plan for more than 4 months for rehab and sale of the property.

Have you ever encountered someone from the northern regions expressing a desire to retire in a perpetually cold and overcast place where they'd spend their days shoveling snow in sub-zero temperatures?

Currently prepping a new property in Arizona for the rental market and seeking advice on planned updates:Considering upgrading laminate countertops to quartz for durability and aesthetic appeal.Freshening up interiors with a repaint.Looking for reliable washer and dryer units suitable for rentals.

And you would only qualify for that if your primary job (where you spend the most hours) is in a real estate field, but also it has to be at a business that you own at least 5% of (so W-2 income typically doesn't qualify).