Most of the changes in BP over the years has been well-thought-out and executed, bringing benefits to me as a small-time investor and realtor.   

Once you start real estate investing you won't ever look back 😂Sounds like you are well on your way, and once you save up a little cash you might benefit from linking with a good lender to see your options!

By reducing your tax burden of your W2 while also reaping the benefit of the short term rental cash flow, you may be able to free up more capital to scale more quickly.

Sure, some absolutely have benefited, S.Korea is a fair example BUT, one can argue it would just be "Korea" today if only MacArthur wasn't planning a run for President there after and ignored Chinas warning and offer of peace to stop with all but total victory, instead pushing to Chinese border, pulling them into it and literally loosing the entire north....    

Umbrellas are pretty cheap, so I would not try to avoid them.2) This is also a decent option, but I've seen people do 1 house per LLC which seems ridiculous.3) This 1% thing is unlikely to have the benefit you hoped. 

If you're planning to live in it long-term and then rent it out later, it could become an investment property, but you won’t have that immediate cash flow benefit.

What benefit is paying a coach if you only intend to passively invest.  

This outcome demonstrated Partner Driven’s ability to identify and execute rapid-turn deals effectively, underscoring the benefits of our partnership with Rod King.

So you can't put the properties into an LLC and benefit from owner occupied financing.

Could be something that could really benefit other investors to understand better from a first hand perspective.