@Willy Vasquez moralesIt may not make sense to put your wife on payroll if your goal is to minimize taxes.

It's likely to protect the floor as well as minimize the sound transfer between the floors.

It's possible to address the first one through combining several mortgages into a smaller number of blanket mortgages secured by one property, but that doesn't really help you with the second issue unless you also get a lower rate and payment amount.You mentioned that they look at your tax returns rather than the rent roll/leases for the income on your properties, so you may be experiencing one of the real estate investor's paradoxes: If you do a great job maximizing your expenses and minimizing your income for tax purposes, you'll also make it more difficult to qualify for a mortgage 😂There really isn't an easy solution for the second problem, at least if you want to continue getting more fixed rate residential mortgages and want to continue to minimize the taxes you pay each year.This is why many of us end up being driven into the arms of commercial lenders, whose loans do adjust every 5-7 years but who also underwrite much more on the specific collateral property and less on you as an individual per se, and who focus much less on your other properties (though they do look at them generally as part of your complete Personal Financial Statement).

Maybe you could put out a general announcement to the complex saying that you want to ensure parking is used by those who need it so you will start charging a minimal monthly fee for each stall, limit one per unit.

Since this is my first purchase, I am a little risk averse and was looking at primarily turnkey units with minimal work on my end.

I was irritated by this, but I insisted on a larger deposit, so it should be a minimal loss if at all.

Or do you have a GC or inspector that you know that comes out and gives you a free or very minimal cost estimate to give you an idea of what to expect?

Upon re=reading it, some good points were made for going this route, such as minimizing capX and having someone around to "watch" the property. 

The outcome was that I have a $2200 mortgage payment, utilities are minimal ( Lessons learned?

You may be having trouble with banks right now because they are tightening their lending requirements and minimizing loans.