So, while prices held relatively firm overall, we are seeing a decrease in buyer demand and a buildup of inventory compared to this time last year.

Conventional is always going to be the cheapest, but sometimes it doesn't work due to a buyer's financial situation or their desire to keep a property out of their personal name. 

In an ideal situation, this kind of deal can benefit all the parties involved, especially if it's a highly desirable property; The seller gets some privacy, the agent makes a few calls, and the buyer has less competition.

If your properties are located in city with SB 721 enforcement mechanisms in place, I would contact the city for inspection guidelines and then find an inspector and contractor who understand those guidelines.At the risk of sounding undiplomatic, I have zero desire to pay someone $4K to drill holes in my balconies.

As long as your investment is in a neighborhood with high demand for rentals and is a desirable area, it should meet your expectations.

In Texas there are no CDs anymore and no law firm would touch one.  

I am very impressed with your knowledge and will definitely going with your firm for the simpler 401k trust plan, and I will get rid of the LLC.Just for the sake of exercise, could anyone please still let me know if an IRA makes a private equity investment into an LLC and becomes the 100% owner of the LLC, and the LLC later receives tax forms against its EIN, will the owner of the IRA just disregard those tax forms?

Switched firms recently and still adjusting and making far less than I did with my previous firm.

@Daniel Kitt - Reach out to Doss Law, a law firm that specializes in private lender law.

And, as it relates to your plan, you probably know the optics of your market better than I, but I find that five unit properties are often slightly less desirable than four unit properties, simply because buyers can no longer use conventional financing for five units.