@Jeremy KeoneThere isn't a "workaround" per se.The passive activity loss rules are hard to get around for a reason: that's the way congress intended them to be.Either:(1) You reduce your modified AGI below $150k, or even better -- below $100k, to take up to $25k in passive losses against your other taxable income. 

Most buyers will be buying on back end appreciation plays.The choice is to leave that area and buy elsewhere or like you said if it's almost the same as renting you are building equity hopefully and taking depreciation to reduce your annual income taxes.

The people I have met that were home schooled were academically smart as heck and good people but reduced exposure to real world social skills, especially in peer groups, caused them to be severely lacking in their early years and thus were years behind in that department.Not all though, one set of parents made that an important part of their home schooling program and the kid could read someone faster then a ghetto con man and quickly let me know I had misread someone and saved me some time and money.Point is real estate brokering or real estate investing is a people business and that is where you should focus be it college or the workplace.

Just wrote an article on my website on how to reduce the number of keys we keep as landlords and how to get them organized.

If you can take those to any architect or PE, it could reduce the amount of time they need to get an understanding of what is existing and what is going to be changed by your team.Semi-retired architects (who are still licensed) are also great for this type of work.

Sante in these situations IF, IF you take it on you reduce your offer heavily to the bank on the REO.If the bank wants a premium and to dump a problem then move on to another property.

We have flipped a few houses in flood zones, but always reduce our purchase price to reflect the reduced sale price on the retail side. 

So.... the higher your primary insurance is  IE. 300, 500k, 750k  the less likely the Umprella policy will have to be used therefore reducing your premiums somewhat.Does this make sense to you?

A buyer can reduce payments for the remaining term by paying a lump sum of money.

If something happens to your debit card, it's YOUR money at risk...If you can manage your spending and pay it off every month, using a credit card to get back some sort of return on something you would otherwise be buying (whether cash back, points, miles, etc), there is no reason not to realize that return and reduce your risk of getting your card information stolen.