Not a big deal, but just assume an extra 20k of work you’ll need to shell out when you’re buying old homes without PVC clean outs.

I'd suggest putting all your efforts into acquiring the property as quickly as possible and worry less about entity structure until it's really necessary.Entity structures (LLC, Incorp, etc.) are asset protection not a tax strategy just fyi.

As a fellow attorney, I am sure you are already risk-averse.You’re in a great position to start strong with a solid legal structure.

I do have a couple of practical questions, if you don’t mind sharing your approach: How do you typically structure the option fee?

For now, since you’re house hacking, just make sure you’re tracking rental income and expenses for the rented portion, including mortgage interest, taxes, insurance, and utilities.Following this approach will give you time to build cash, understand rehab costs, structure financing properly, and keep your taxes optimized.

Single-family and commercial investing are very different: single-family homes are usually more approachable and influenced by comparable sales, while commercial deals are driven more by income and deal structure. 

Also they are gone within 1 week where as in 1 week I can barely get information about the structure of the house to make sure it is not damaged. 

It could be that most of the value is coming from the land itself, and not the structure. 

.: I’ve got plenty of refinance potential sitting on the table right now but I’m stuck in that familiar gray zone of when to actually pull the trigger.The hesitation isn’t about qualification or structure.

I can share off-market deals, walk you through how others are structuring investments remotely, and help connect you with local property managers and contractors to make it hands-off.