Future land appreciation in this area might outweigh any tax benefits from buying in other areas, with a better (tax-wise) ratio.Before pursuing your plan, talk to a real estate accountant to figure out if you can, in fact, benefit from cost segregation.

I own a home which I’m currently living in and planning on making a long-term rental property as well once I move out.

Here is an example with some figures:My LLC total investment = $204,000Partner LLC total investment = $196,000Value of project when complete = $500,000Each LLC value afterwards = $255,000 / $249,000The plan was for me personally to go get the refinance loan because the terms are so much stronger than if I went portfolio with the LLC.Loan total = $300,000 (keeping at 60% or under of value for best terms from the bank)Partner LLC payout = $249,000My LLC payout = $51,000In this scenario, I am struggling to see how to get the remaining equity in the project into my personal name? 

I am currently in the market to purchase a tri-plex with the plan to live in one unit, make upgrades, and rent the other two out.

We plan to scale to 20-30 properties by end of year and was wondering if there's a better platform out there. 

What is your plan? 

A good real estate accountant can save you thousands of dollars by leveraging entity selection and formation, tax deductions, cost segregations, bonus depreciation and tax planning.I recommend finding an accountant who specializes in real estate taxation, business taxation, financial planning and tax planning.You may want to consider working with your accountant remotely to expand your options.I would also recommend looking for a accountant willing to work with you throughout the year.

What did they say is the plan?

Simplify the structure as much as possible, have clear roles and responsibilities that are not overlapping (meaning only one person is allowed to make certain decisions) and a clearly defined exit plan.

You're off to a great start by educating yourself and planning to attend meetups—that’s where the magic happens!