I learned how much an escrow account check matters to your overall mortgage payment.

I took into account a likely cheaper labor rate but will say when we owned units in gulf shores that i was not encountering that low of a labor rate.  

Foreign National programs sometimes require that you have US credit and most will want you to have a US-based bank account.

Set up a contracts account at both Lowes and HD. 

Of course, what they paid isn’t going to take into account the money they have spent on renovations or remodeling, which can be substantial.  

The designer talked about has a completely different account then the designers I usually recommend, and I would have had red flags to begin with.

The experience was really bad as I was getting 1-2 year old leads to cold call that I knew had a 0% success rate and I do much better generating leads organically on my own.

I'm an accountant by trade.

When you pay cash for a $400,000 home and rent it out, your rate of return will likely be less than 6%.You could invest in stocks and earn 7% or better.You could put the money in a high-interest savings account and earn up to 5%.I don't understand why anyone would pay cash for real estate, erasing many benefits that increase the rate of return, while exposing themselves to the risk of loss (turnover costs, bad tenants, capex, etc.). 

@Megan HerringtonBigger Pockets is a great place to find a real estate tax accountant.