Though TECHNICALLY correct you get SOME write-offs, that doesn't benefit me every year the way owning RE outside of the account does." and since you don't appear to sell 401(k)s or IRAs but you have practical application, I'd like to know your opinion. 

Moving on, my Real Estate goals are as follows:Short-term: Get real estate license, and then hired into a PM firm so as to acquire practical experience as to how managing is done properly, as well as finding tenants, making deals, etc.Acquire first multi-family property, ideally a four-plex/4-unit apt.Gain experience in other types of Real Estate deals such as wholesaling and flipping to see if I take an interest in them, or am particularly good at conducting those operations.Long-term:Own and rent 1,000,000 commercial/residential multi family units.Have my own PM company for my properties, and perhaps others properties as well.I found Bigger Pockets through my real estate studies and discovering the BP podcast, and figured joining this forum is an excellent step in my real estate campaign.

You don't have to have a script memorized verbatim, but practice what you will say if you get someone on the phone.  

I don’t think where you take the classes matters really, but I would recommend taking as many practice tests as you can/are willing to pay for.

It was easy to think just get out of rentals but obvious where we screwed up and learned not to vary from good rental business practices, even if it's the pope!

The Act also prohibits housing providers from refusing residency to persons with disabilities, or, with some narrow exceptions, placing conditions on their residency, because those persons may require reasonable modifications or reasonable accommodations.With respect to reasonable accommodations and reasonable modifications: * The Act makes it unlawful for any person to refuse “to make reasonable accommodations in rules, policies, practices, or services, when such accommodations may be necessary to afford . . . person(s) [with disabilities] equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling.†* The Act makes it unlawful for any person to refuse “to permit, at the expense of the [disabled] person, reasonable modifications of existing premises occupied or to be occupied by such person if such modifications may be necessary to afford such person full enjoyment of the premises, except that, in the case of a rental, the landlord may where it is reasonable to do so condition permission for a modification on the renter agreeing to restore the interior of the premises to the condition that existed before the modification, reasonable wear and tear excepted.â€It is important for all real estate professionals to remember that the federal Fair Housing Act prohibits discrimination in housing on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin and disability.

And the nightmare tenant practically bragged about it.

The PM provides monthly statements on income/expenses and there is an ACH to my account in bulk twice a month.Is it best practice to take those statements and enter the details of them into my own software versus just the ACH?  

Whether you proceed or not maybe your stepson can use this as an opportunity to practice the "Those w/ the $ make the rules" negotiation.

I can understand how lawmakers could find the practice offensive, but I am surprised anyone would go far enopugh to make a law on it.