So many of the benefits of a Nevada or Wyoming LLC Etc. are gone anyway. 

But the overall benefits to the economy for homeownership vs. renters, in my opinion, is worth the trade-off. 

So, I'm left questioning what benefits there are to the 2/1 buydown that would make it a recommended option.I'm thinking that if I skip the 2/1 buydown, the cash to close would be lower, meaning I'd need to put in less of my own money upfront, which seems like a better option to me.

Personally I think it would be foolish to just invest trying to get tax write-offs as the primary benefit of your portfolio.

There are definitely pros and cons to each so I figured I would just lay out a few benefits and personal thoughts: Small banks/brokerages:Pros:- Some regional knowledge of the market- Possibility of more creative lending guidelines with bank specific programs- Sometimes they have competitive rates for their areaCons: - weak balance sheet (more strict on some guidelines, no wiggle room, inability to be flexible or grant exceptions because they cannot afford to hold less than perfect loans)- Can't scale with clients to different markets- Usually limits exposure to individual investors (they don't want one investor to be too big of a portion of their balance sheet)- Lack of experience with multiple solutions (tend to have 2 or 3 loan products they sell and are too niche to provide tailored solutions)Large banks/brokerages:Pros:- Large compliance departments that understand individual market guidelines (typically each state has specific lending guidelines that augment the national baseline)- Ability to scale into multiple markets with same lender (licensed in many states)- Impossible for individual investors to "outgrow" a large bank's balance sheet (not concerned with one investor's concentration)- More lending solutions available for different scenarios- Often comparable or better rates given the game is volume basedCons:- Can be more difficult to get fast responses if the bank/brokerage does not have good follow up systems in place (or if the underwriting/processing staff gets overwhelmed)- Bad large banks can feel less like a relationship and more like a cog in a factory (less personal)Overall, I have worked from both and worked with both as a loan officer, branch manager, and as an investor/client myself. 

Yes, while there is debate about the material status, I would lean towards MFS unless there is a tangible benefit for filing separately. 

I don't mean to be ungrateful, but this is really no benefit or bonus to a Pro Member, it's just a source of frustration and a waste of my valuable and limited time. 

How many benefits && how many CAN benefit with hearing each other out, 

Although bigger is normally better in real estate, there are benefits to being a smaller investor (as Chad Carson points out in his book.) 

It will familiarize you with the basic terminology and benefits.