Professionals are trained to match the pesticide to the bug, have proper protective gear, and know how to instruct the tenants about safety issues.

Laws vary and anyone can sue anyone else, but the operating principle is that if you hire a licensed, bonded and insured contractor it is their responsibility to oversee safety.

Anything that is of immediate safety concern should be handled immediately; you should not delay.

And the more down money you spend on the initial properties the less number of properties you can buy.The first 5 properties that I bought were essentially 100% financed not bu 100% LTV first mortgages but by a combination of high LTV first mortgages and other borrowing including relatives and credit union signature loans.Whatever your per door goal is for your NOI, net after expenses, then if a prospective purchase does not make your goal, you have the decision to buy it anyway or pass and keep looking.

$5K is about what you need for a safety net to weather a bad period, so don't stretch yourself too thin.

If I could borrow 75% of the 'non - SDIRA' portion (75K), could I essentially 'cash out' by paying off the 55K loan on the non - SDIRA portion and recapturing my initial 20K down payment so that I could re-invest it into another property?

That is your safety line from the nuts who sue over everything.

It is my understanding that the old school "Lonnie Deals" are essentially dead due to the Dodd-Frank regulations coming down the pipe.

Essentially what you are saying is, the IRR = 14.57% of which I choose to allocate 3.37% to pay back/down the invested capital.

The IRS has essentially determined $500 as a threshold; however, you must keep a written policy of that being your decision of a fixed dollar amount.