If you wanted to fund a portion of the down payment would you suggest a hard money lender, personal loan, etc.?

As per their terms of use, "The Site is provided solely for your personal noncommercial use."

By themselves, improvements to property you own are considered to by personal property and not real property. 

Awesome to see a new investor-minded person here.. do you have a favorite real estate success story already?

Personally I look at that as the easy side of putting value to a  BRRR or fix and flips.

IRS 590 also explains this.5) When you receive a distribution or otherwise get paid back, never take personal control of the money.

Unfortunately, this problem waste a lot of my time that could be spent on other investments.I have used the same tax professional for many years and he is very educated, but also much older than me and it's hard for me to understand all the reasons he has expressed why is better to put the rental on my personal tax returns.

Consider doing this personally or using an LLC.

It’s a balancing act of controlling costs while also controlling risk of personal injury to your tenants and property visitors as well as maintaining goodwill with all involved at the properties. 

You missed an important item: Depending on how a person does #1 or #2, it could get them: A fast-pass to the "Principles Office" for "bullying" and now there sitting in "detention"....