The increased cash flow and the ability to pay down the loan more quickly are the biggest draws for me.Am I underestimating the time commitment of managing a multifamily property?

@Christopher Smith there are many...but in my opinion really only three companies out there that offer the ability to 721 into a large and diversified REIT that i'd feel comfortable with. 

Also the ability to repay -  your source of income. 

My interest in entity transfers is the ability to forego a massive increase in the tax bill upon reassessment.

You need to have the ability to contact previous landlord to verify previous rental history.

I remember a buddy who once represented a client in the Santa Cruz Mountains.. this client turned an old barn into a shared art studio and invited local artists to rent the space, which ended up boosting inccome in ways they never imagined.The Redwood market can be tricky because of environmental restrictions, zoning quirks, and limited inventory.

Use your superior knowledge, experience and analytical ability to spot something in a property being offered for sale that everyone else has missed.  

From a personal standpoint I target 70% LTV for any investment I have that way gives me ability to sell it if I need too

These options should give you the ability to configure access for the full property or separate units as needed.

It's been a few years since I last updated the list of providers (there are older threads on this topic here on BP), but at last blush there were five trust companies offering the ability to write and service mortgages from registered accounts:B2B BankCanada Western TrustOlympia TrustEastern TrustCommunity Trust CompanyOf these, Canada Western and Olympia has the best offerings at the time.