I would also check median home prices vs. rent potential, landlord-friendly laws, and supply vs. demand trends.

Any LLC we start in the future will be held in the trust.

Quote from @Chris Seveney:  So if I understand all of this, the only way to unlock prior passive losses is with future passive gains.

Home price appreciation is still trending up, but cashflowing rentals are difficult to find for the most part.

Question:3  Do we need to watch out for any pitfalls in future for scaling our portfolio together or separately? 

Sounds like you and your future husband have a solid success plan in place. 

Any trends or insights worth noting?

Buying your first property to live in, and renting out rooms is a great way to cut back on costs and if you set that money aside, it will grow and become down payment funds for a future purchase.  

I’d love to stay in touch in the future.

There could still be some opportunities for new housing, and hopefully, the law will also be eased for single-family properties in the future.