Killing the roaches is only treating the symptom not the disease.Track down the tenant causing the problem, get rid of that tenant, then go after the roaches.

You're better off asking your bank.I'd think that because they are individual parceled, they wouldn't be treated as a regular 16 unit MF for tax or any other purposes. 

I'm not treating REI as a hobby or a side hustle this is now a full-time job moving forwards for me.If you were just starting like me, keeping my goals in mind, would you take the initial capital and use it as down payments spread out among multiple residential SFH's and/or 2-4 unit MFR's or would you use it all as a down payment on one larger commercial multi-family property?

If from your spouse, then you can treat the IRA as your own IRA and you will not be required to take RMDs until you reach age 70 1/2.   

They are not automatically treated as a business.

If I keep property under an llc, will these be treated as separate shareholders? 

Treat it as a marriage: what property worth before the QCD, belongs to the one who owned it.

i know my time is worth money. my properties are out of state and rely on local Contractors to do the work, and i treat them the way i would want to be treated as a contractor.

Treat people fairly, be honest, and do the right thing.

Step #2: find out whether developers would treat it as a knock-down.