So my counter-offer was that I would pay them a small down payment, and have a contract saying that I must pay them in full within 18 months.

You can deduct a proportionate amount of your mortgage interest, property taxes, insurance, electricity, water, gas, etc. and you can deduct any expenses that are directly associated with the portion of the property that is being rented out.

Hi Emeldine, I would love to connect with you and point you in the right direction! 

thats a very small segment you have cornered.

However I'm also using VRBO and I'd like to accommodate direct bookings if possible.

I purchased a 7 unit directly across the parking lot of the EAST CLEV train station.

I will also send you a PM to the URL to edit directly.

If you don't know real estate, this would be the same for  you if you just want to invest, not wanting to do the work nor learn nor wanting to do option 1. excellent post Ke Nan, couldn't agree more, and Chris, if y'all are working full time, then may be most efficient to maximize your W2 earnings as you are, then plough the savings into Real Estate syndications to get many of the same tax benefits you would get from direct real estate ownership but without all the time investment of dealing with tenants/toilets/and termites etc.

I have 2 small commercial office buildings in one LLC with multiple partners including myself. 

The beneficiary would have to open an inherited self-directed IRA; the assets will be rolled over there.