Also this way you are essentially getting paid to learn about an industry you are sincerely interested in. 

Mortgage payment is $1,000 on each house, so you're essentially earning $500 per house or $2,000 a month.

Networking is essential.

What's unique about your situation is that the subject property itself is essentially a comp if the owner bought it recently enough. 

Can I deduct that off my taxes as opposed to capitalizing it since the cost is essentially cleaning?  

Here's a link to the actual story on the meeting:https://www.citizen-times.com/...Here's a good link to NC's rules on STRs, which essentially says they can zone them in/out and regulate them like any other business but cannot require permits or licenses:https://canons.sog.unc.edu/202...

Still can find some solid SFR's in Mount Healthy, but the school district is not good either.

However, the best method I used to determine my CPA (or at least where I ended up) was just picking up the phone, calling places, asking a list of questions that were important to me, and scheduling a meeting if I decided they were worth a deeper conversation.Once the meeting came around (whether in-person or video chat), I asked very specific questions about my intentions of using the tax code to my advantage through REI and essentially 'tested' their readiness to lead a client of my nature. 

Many of these things (driving for dollars, foreclosures, distressed sellers, etc) have essentially dried up with the upswing in property values in the past 2-5 years. 

It's essentially a 6-unit building with only three units occupied, one vacant, two completely gutted, and the siding and roof are in pretty bad shape.