Often syndicators will do a Cost Segregation, and this can minimize UDFI tax. 

So I feel like this part is pretty commoditized and doesn't save me a lot of time (since I don't use list that often it's not saving me tons of time).Are you doing any other automations that save you time day to day, or monthly?

The thought of buying near colleges has crossed my mind many times: an abundance of tenants & cash flow!

Will depend on several factors like the type of property, type of tenants, your risk tolerance, other assets you own, your estate planning, laws where the property is located, etc.

If you're sticking to all-cash, passive investments, you’re right that flippers and small developers often look for cash investors to fund deals without traditional financing.

There are benefits to using the LLC, holding company, or trust, but they all come with costs and add complexity to your life that is often unwarranted.

We often give advice and never learn the end result.

Combining these strategies often gives investors the best balance of cost, simplicity, and security.

Sorry for the late reply; I'm not on BP too often. 

Not all attorneys are equal, so ask them questions to find out how often they do this, their methods, their success rate, etc.