@Adam CousleyYour self-employment as a licensed realtor should qualify you for the Solo 401k, which can accept rollovers from all of the source plans you mention.The Solo 401(k) could invest in syndicated deals, so long as the investment does not create a self-dealing or disqualified party issue, i.e. it cannot be a syndicate you are personally putting together.The Solo 401(k) would be exempted from UDFI taxation on debt-financed investments into real property.UBIT would apply regardless of plan type if the investments of the plan constitute a trade or business engaged in on a regular or repeated basis (generally flipping, wholesaling and new construction in the real estate space).

Protection from within or from outside, risks you want to protect against, Equity, insurance, obtaining loans, taxation, record keeping required, ananymity, corporate veil, money flow in and out, etc. all need to be considered-it is not a simple answer.

I will appreciate any help on following. 1) Does the above make sense, esp. setting them as disregarded LLC to simplify taxation.2) Would I need to register my CA LLC as foreign LLC doing biz in the state?

This UDFI taxation generally does not add up to much. 

Hey @Matt Motil, I am definitely interested but as I am just starting out I worry about double taxation.

How can I defer or decrease the taxation on income.

I would recommend you find an accountant experienced in cross-border real estate and Canadian taxation and figure out what is the best manner of holding these properties, assuming you would be living in Canada - from both the perspective of taxation and of giving you control over when/how you would patriate earnings to Canada.  

Distributions are taxed at your normal tax rate, whereas the salary you take is subject to the SE taxation.

I know I will have to pay capital gains tax at 15% on this amount, but that is still significantly less than the interest I will owe on the debt. 

You definitely want someone who specializes in REI, and has a strong understanding of real estate taxation, and can provide you with tax planning ideas as well.