I mainly do long term rentals but this feels in my lap and has been great. 

B/Ds are usually paid via commissions for selling the DST, but if you go through an RIA, most DST providers pass along a "gross-up bonus" directly to the investor since they no longer have to pay the B/D a commission.

You should create losses via bonus deprecation if you actually plan to offset gains with it 

Look at the carrier's financial strength, financial outlook, and longevity via AM Best ratings. 

I love the idea of connecting via social media.

If the property will be a value add and purchased with a rehab loan that will later be refinanced, or paid off via a flip, a HELOC could be a good option for you.

The taxable income from the LLC passes through to your personal tax return via a IRS Schedule K-1 and you include the income / loss on your personal return. 

I had one friend who tried this and finally went to go visit the property and it had holes in the walls etc that the contractor never fixed but they did not know it until they visited I have not been in the property but my local contractor did all the repairs and I did a walkthrough via facetime and viewed pictures of the home.

For me, I would want to identify an accelerated process to buy a new property via auction.

See if you can make dollars via conventional sale3.