Although growing up in the urban part of LA, my tolerance for crime is a bit higher.   :-) Thanks again for your wonderful write-up and much luck on the rest of your investing journey.

I have set a goal to have at least one property to rent out by the end of next year and wish to grow more and more 

If you are wanting to grow your portfolio you may eventually want to use a PM Service.  

Why we're here: We want to grow!

If you ask me, San Antonio is a market that will grow a lot in the future, arguably Dallas, Atlanta as well.

My wife and I are ready to grow our investment portfolio on a larger scale.  

If I use a crowdfunding company like Reality Shares, or Groundfloor, and I receive interest in 6 months, it is considered ordinary income for taxes.

Security deposits do not belong to the owner until/unless the tenant leaves and there is damage beyond ordinary wear and tear. 

@Dan TrinhYou are not required to create an entity to deduct expense on your tax return.If you do not create an entity - the profit of the sole proprietor will be reported on your individual tax return.For an expense to be deductible it has to be ordinary and necessary to your business. 

From there, I would like to scale up into larger multi family as my experience grows.