However, if you have multiple rental properties it might be impossible to claim that you materially participate 500 hours in each property.

Depending on your area, it can be a pain to set up multiple LLCs and keep them running.

That's not everyone - some legitimate players may just be short on cash because of projects (I've been there) - but it is a lot of people. 

I recommend talking with an experienced broker who can help you shop multiple lenders  

I’ve worked for some group home providers where they employ a maintenance worker who handles some of these issues (usually if the have multiple homes in a specific geographic location) and I’ve worked for homes where the handiest employee fixes things and that option doesn’t always have the best outcomes.

Perhaps your #6 of repurposing commercial in to multiple small residential units is the best idea I can see in SA as it has had way too many Single Family rental homes added the last few years. 

Two of the biggest players in this space just folded.

The end goal is to have a piece of land with multiple houses: one for my growing family but also a home for my mother in law.My mother in law has agreed to foot the money on a new property/land up front and when ready we can buy land from her to build/develop etc. 

What worked for me was listing on multiple platforms - Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and even local community bulletin boards.

Nice try, but this time does not count.In order to meet 750 hours, your wife will need one of the below:- do something else real estate related, like wholesaling or realtor- actively work on expanding your rental portfolio - have an extensive DIY rehab, like a month-long full-time rehab (and then she might need another kind of rehab)- a calamity such as multiple properties damaged in a storm where she will have to deal with insurers and contractors- something else out of the ordinaryAgain - if all you have is 9 single-family properties with stable tenants and typical occasional maintenance - you don't have enough work to collect 750 hours.