Long term rentals are the easiest since you won't have to deal with cleaners and maintenance issues are relatively easy to deal with by calling someone. 

There are no tax deductions for such gifts, however you have a $15k per recipient annual gift limit that avoids the chore of filing a gift tax return.

If it's not you - you are going to be paying contractors (most likely) retail repair rates - and with the prices of housing (even dilapidated housing) pretty high right now - I would say that flipping is not the easiest "in" to the market.  

  $500 off up front is a one time discount, the $40/month lower is the gift (to the tenant) that keeps on giving. 

This is hands down the best and easiest way to get started.

They keep rent low, give gifts and homemade cookies for Christmas, make upgrades whenever the tenant requests,  accept all the late rent excuses, etc.The truth is, your tenant is not your friend.

I’m almost 65 I have about 3 million in property and am strongly considering finding a non profit I believe in and gifting 2 million to them- you don’t have to pay taxes if you do that but they’ll take 5-10% of sale.

The easiest thing to transform them into is storage unit places but there is only so much of that before you have an over supply.

It would be the easiest to network and find all the experts that will be needed to make it happen.

I just feel like they market it in a way where it is the easiest thing in the world of real estate and the best thing and it is worth the price, but it really isn't.