One of our tenants had a higher water bill due to the leak that has happened because of water heater failure. Who is responsible for the water bill according to NC Landlord Tenant laws. Is it Landlord or tenant? 

I would prefer to self manage to avoid the high poperty management fees (I think its around 10% + 1 month leasing fee, etc.) and I also worry that the property manager will likely not be as dilligent in finding high quality affordable vendors, etc.I see 4 major pieces of work1) Tenant finding: I feel comfortable doing this remotely.

This type of real estate comes with high risk and high reward.

They want to send me to the commercial loan department where the rates are awful, closing costs are high, and the requirements much more robust.What if I just get a second-home construction to permanent loan, wait 12-16 months for it to be built, spend another 90-120 days furnishing it, and then refinance into a traditional 30 year fixed as an investment property?

Taxes are only a part of this decision. 

Too many dangers if it is in a high crime area in the sense of vandalism, theft, etc. 

I want to get him to understand if our monthly payment is too high, we don't have the extra cash lying around to fix up the other unit and get it to market rents.

this  make sense  if you were planning to  refnance  the  1st mtg anyways  ...otherwise  - I would either keep looking for another 95% heloc  or  make due with a  90% cltv  heloc programRight, it sounded like that’s the way in which Lower is able to offer that high percentage and offer this program.

I’m going to visit the property tomorrow and he is taking me through each apartment.

The problem is taking them collectively results in new problems for our lot...the three solutions work when you look at just one of our shared lines, but when you look at all three the math falls apart...my surveyor will have to take their collective work, his new field investigation and then apply his own good theories, and hopefully our property is the missing piece in the puzzle for how to resolve this.I share that because those three surveyors are all names I or my boss know, and do good work.