Stay on top of material price trends, and have contingency plans for unexpected costs.

I wrote few materials too in those areas before you might find in BP.

.: If my wife claims REP status in the year 2025 (she will work as Real Estate agent, materially participate, etc in managing these LTR properties for 500 hrs, etc), can we carry forward the passive-losses from bonus depreciation from 2024, towards offsetting my W2 income to be earned in the year 2025? 

And it also doesn't help that we're putting tarriffs on a bunch of key materials (steel and aluminum) which is going to drive up the price of materials yet again. 

I’m a family man also with a couple teenage kids,, I feel if I can get more properties now, it’ll help my kids to own & live in one of those properties that they wouldn’t be able to afford 1,2,3, or 4 decades from now when I am gone..

REPS = Your rentals are non-passive if you materially participate in them.

Get estimates only for labor and buy ALL the materials myself ?

Yes it's hard to price this out without knowing the property details and what grade materials you’re using etc. 

And if something pops up later such as unpaid material man, or a couple of subs who received no payment and did not provide lean releases- do you go after the contractors bond money after filing for a court order to do so?

You can break it out by general RE activities and material participation.