Cost segregation and advancing depreciation has its pros and cons depending on what the individual investor's goal is.

I'm never in favor of government over stepping, but I can also see how desperate individuals can be taken advantage of during this tragedy. 

Could be.I think that for most individual American investors leverage is a critical tool. 

The entire goal is to help you / individuals like you who are interested in a finding an agent who works with real estate investors.

we did this a lot pre 07  in that year Oregon WA and then CA made laws that had lots of teeth about dealing with those in foreclosure.. so we just stopped doing it risk was not worth it.I cant see how an individual can do this really..

Do you want a company that will keep the long-range investment objectives in mind or one that focuses on today and today's profit alone?     

I think for me what helped was going into the conversation with a mapped out 10 year plan and showing her how the objectives and end goals align with hers and our family's.

So the question becomes based on their individual and personal tax situation what is the estimated tax burden they'd save? 

Most importantly you seem to have an understanding that education is the foundation to build your investments on, and that will keep you from chasing shiny objects. 

There are more complicated strategies to maximize larger listings that involve having like multiple listings for same property and do individual room rentals when it is slower and then for larger length stays, larger groups, and more desirable dates you'd book the whole space, but I think its easier to just do two separate.