I eventually built a small front deck at the entry. 

Hello All, My name is Randall Owens and I am looking for serious help in regards to a 2 flat building with a unfinished basement that I plan on converting to a 3rd unit in Chicago.

In the 1960s we have seen large swats of farmland converted into single family subdivisions, which are today Milwaukee neighborhoods - we don't have any farm land available anymore inside the belt of wealthy suburbs, which their 3 or 5 acre min lot size zoning requirements (as we have in Mequon)  So space is one constraint, the cost of building is another.

I’m not doing much rehab on it, so mostly turn key, and finding one that I can cash flow when I eventually move out of the MFH into another property.

It seems eventually rents can be raised to 950 atleast.

A collection with a zero balance shows you eventually paid, but it also shows potential creditors that someone had to sue you/turn you over to a collection agency to force you to pay.  

Thinking about converting a one car garage into a “mother in-law suite.”

Simple to convert to an ADU and you then have rental income abilities with the added unit.

I will have a sizable portfolio of SFH eventually and we a solid foundation to work from. 

You are correct that holding the property in your name opens you up to liability which includes holding the property in an LLC that is not anonymous.What structure you want to hold this in which also affects your tax & protection benefits, will depend on your relationship to the other owners, how long you wish to hold the property, where you all live, where the property is located, among other situations (i.e. will this tie into anyone's estate, will the property be sold eventually or is a 1031 exchange the best option, etc.) * I am not an attorney and I'm not YOUR attorney.