I also feel that an LLC may not be the ideal form of ownership if you wish to shelter your non-CA income from CA taxes unless you elect to have the tax treatment as a corporation and not as a partneship.

My question is: would it be a good idea to mandate that I have a visual inspection of the garage and its contents before proceeding.

Funds have different tax treatment than syndicated projects do in many cases.  

This problem needed to be handled swiftly to prevent spreading to the other units.SHOP AROUND. 1st quote Orkin 2000 per unit for the first visit and for any visit after that ONLY 1000.I called a few other exterminators and found a local company that would do the whole complex for 600 dollars and any treatment after that for 300 dollars a treatment.

Here’s the list on Bloomberg, read it and weep: http://www.bloomberg.com/data-visualization/federal-reserve-emergency-lending/

If you build and then immediately sell (flip), you are actually holding for sale (not investment) and will technically not qualify for 1031 Exchange treatment.

Some easy DIY to use in your landscaping plan: Applying the best organic weed/feed treatment for your area during this spring season to encourage a lush lawn, mow every 10-21 days (depending on rainfall and growth rate), use an edger along the hard surfaces of your lawn (along the driveways, sidewalks, porches, etc. which gives your lawn a more defined look), trim hedges and trim limbs back from property (discourages insects and birds from trying to find entries into the property), replace and put down fresh mulch/pinestraw around trees, flower beds, bushes, and shrubs.Please let me know if that helps.Best to you!

This won't change the tax treatment - two tax parcels, two property tax bills, etc. 

@Mindy Jensen, thanks for the visual guides.

Visually check roof.