Hey Jason, Feel free to reach out!

An LLC is not free.

Depending on how you set it up, it won't reduce your earned income, but there may be benefits to making the rent itself tax-free for many years or at least reduced (assuming you never recapture depreciation).

That webinar was excellent but I feel like it left a lot of questions unanswered especially for after you buy the property..How am I supposed to fill the home with a renter?.

Feels unnerving after 25 years doing something - you know? 

Using this tax free bucket, you can borrow against it at very low rates to pay off your student loans.  

Sorry if your feelings were hurt.

I could be wrong here so I'd hope for you that the repair estimate is being used to negotiate the purchase price down.Curious to know what other members of the BP community feel about this.All the best to you on your first deal!

Just make sure to consume contents here as much as possible and feel free to ask any questions you may have.

I would suggest using our Find a Lender service which is free for you to use in order to find a trusted and vetted hard money lender directly from BiggerPockets.