No matter where you choose to invest, it is important to remember that who you invest with is of vital importance.

For the roof you get core samples as some owners just like to throw another layer on top but the substructure is falling apart and the whole roof needs replacing.

More over, a good syndication will provide each and every private investor, key-principle and co-sponsors all the necessary information on all vital team members who are part of making the deal work.

On flat roofs you have to look at poles, HVAC etc. attached to the roof.When contractors do not install properly they can leak from the bolts put in the roof, bad flashing,etc.Flat roof you usually get core samples to see the quality underneath the most recent layer put on.

I'm not certain if this is universal to all Al coatings.You can also use a light/white acrylic coating - or a silicone-based coating -  to increase the reflectivity of the roof while adding an additional layer of protection/waterproofing.

The 50% that do have a LLC will argue it provides another layer of protection.

Everything we do and have done is 100% transparent; this is why we are still in existence.In a nutshell, our business model has layers of risk management services that we provide to ensure capital preservation for our investors, lenders and ourselves.

Continuos learning is a vital part of this.

And i'm entertaining the idea, but as you said it's vital to get the first one right.

However, our experience has been that local jurisdictions frequently layer their own requirements atop of the national code - and have worked in places where the local code requirements required second doorways in dwelling units not protected by sprinkler systems (we are working on one such project now).Hence my suggestion to verify local code (for Baltimore in the OPs instance).