Like @Bill B. said, the way to eliminate the taxes is for him to stay on title (as long as he has also been reporting the property on his taxes) until he passes away. 

The attitude in the courtroom was literally an overnight change after his passing.

Hi Jodi-Ann, There are lenders that will allow to pull equity out after 3 months seasoning has passed. 

If you need a rec for an investor-friendly officer at each, happy to pass a few on.

None LLC will pay taxes, but they will pass thru to you their profits and you will pay personally.

I would try to avoid Berkeley and Oakland because the laws heavily favor tenants and who knows what local regulations could be passed. 

You'll regret it.A tenant must be a law abiding citizen (no criminal background), willing (credit verification) and able (job income verification only w/ no commission or tip payments included) to pay rent and take care of a home (landlord references)   If they pass all these, then whether they are "nice" or not comes into play.  

So I will most likely pass outright, but may ask him if he is willing to include some hard assets as part of the agreement.

I can't seem to get passed the first step with mortgage company to transfer without refinancing.

If you have cash flow in a market where employment is concentrated in a few industries (such as automotive, entertainment, tourism, etc) then the cash flow is at greater risk that more robust economies.