If you have a good relationship with the seller and you do everything you have told them you would do, you maintain communication/updates on progress throughout the deal and you havent strong armed them into selling for next to nothing then they are much less likely to back out of the deal.

I just want to break even to add amentiy and maintainI have lots of workers who need work and want to clean/maintain laundry room so it would benefit my 'in house' maintenance people too. 

I then may need separate personal and business umbrella liability.The argument isn't that LLC hurt you, just that they cost money to setup and maintain through yearly filings and extra accounting effort. 

That is all your call.In my leases it is the tenant's responsibility to maintain the yard. 

We are working on a 56-unit building that is under-maintained and has low rents. 

Also, she will maintain the property and be making updates to add value while living there - painting, pulling up carpet, refinishing hardwoods, landscaping, adding tile, etc....not big expenses, but certainly lots of labor and minor expense.

I almost gave up on this but then looked into a foreign holding company. 1 option is the UK as the company is relatively cheap to setup and maintain.

So it's kind of darned if you do darned if you don't).I have accountants who maintain that it is perfectly possible to complete your exchange by purchasing from a related party given the right circumstances and documentation. 

Maintaining relationships with specific old plex owners for when they're ready to sell.  

Example, I have a handful of assets some of which I’ve paid off (resulting in high CF) while others maintain an 80% LTV (with low CF).