So, it's common practice for many of them never to pay for gas, and leave it turned off all summer.

Replacing it with a regular tub probably isn't practical.

Listening to non-licensed , non-practicing wanna-bes can get you into some serious trouble, or at least some serious losses, tax or otherwise, as well as lost oppurtunity.

Most state laws say the practice of "Real Estate Brokerage" is "for compensation, putting a buyer and seller together" So now we are saying that even recommending a property is illegal.In most states, only if "for compensation" I told my instructor how I found a BEAUTIFUL Detroit home . . .

Disclaimer: While I’m an attorney licensed to practice in PA, I’m not your attorney.

The good thing about the area is there are many small lenders willing to adapt different lending practices 

Looking for some best practices/ advice on how to best calculate replacement costs when analyzing MFRs.

The best way starting ANYTHING real estate investing is getting a website and learning how to do your own SEO.

I often have a difficult time with hyper-inspirational stories and posts, as they are usually heavy on sentiment and lack practical guidance, but I think you've struck the appropriate balance here. 

Even after investing significant man hours into identifying and categorizing nearly all the sources of private funding for real estate investments, I can say for sure that choosing the right lender for any particular deal takes practice.