Also at some level of enforcement or politics there are those in Ohio that believe the practice is or should be illegal. 

I'm not familiar with FL rules, but NC intrastate CF law just went into practice and even if you stick to all accredited investors (which IMO is a good idea) the regulations give some structure that can (again IMO) put people on the regulatory bypass.... a 'fast track' of sorts.

I do not know to much about real estate practices in Illinois.

I would have expected that people in their 30's who pay their own water bill would recognize a running toilet, especially in a small home where the bathroom shares the wall with the master bedroom.On the plus side, these tenants have given me plenty of opportunities to practice being firm and "the bad guy" with low consequence problems. 

You can do what ever you choose and based on past practices, lease language etc, feel quite confident right up till they take you to court.  

Recently I have become excited with finding affordable options for comfortable and practical living.

Practice estimating these expenses and verifying them.

Can anyone help explain to me the practical difference between a bookkeeper and CPA?

The subprime lending practices in the mid 2000s really fueled the first bubble.

In practicality the law was actually passed ten years earlier in 1968, with a ten year phase in.