We are looking towards STRs in order to lower our W-2 taxable income via cost seg and bonus depreciation.I believe my line of work qualifies me as a REP, but what I am not clear on is whether I would still need to meet the 'material participation' requirements in our rental business in order for our losses to be non-passive.

If a cost segregation study was performed, the accelerated depreciation may further reduce the property’s basis, potentially increasing taxable capital gains when sold.Depreciation recapture will occur when you sell the personal residence, so it’s essential to keep detailed records of all depreciation claimed while the property was used as a rental to ensure accurate tax reporting at that time.This post does not create a CPA-Client relationship.

The last 3 years I gave away more than half my taxable income and last year I gave away 4 to 5 times my taxable income which perturbs the scorecard.So for me, I plan to stop when it is no longer fun. 

This 1031 Exchange Calculator can help you model out the taxable proceeds based on various situations. 

You are converting their tax free gain in to a taxable gain.

Lower returns are an issue as well. 

Assuming you purchased in your IRA for cash as most do, then there's nothing to deduct or depreciate because the income is non-taxable inside the IRA already.

Imagine making millions of dollars over the course of your career and then having to pay 30-50% every year to uncle sam instead of compounding that cash over time.This is exactly what real estate professionals have learned to mitigate.To reduce their taxable income, they just buy a building every year, do a cost seg, and use depreciation to reduce their tax liability dramatically.Their personal wealth snowball grows much larger and much faster than their W2 counterparts who give most of their money back to the government each year.Following this strategy as a real estate professional is one of best ways to end up with a much larger net worth at the end of your career.

I also suspect inflation will drive continued migration to lower cost of living / lower tax states.  

To transition to multi-family properties, research landlord-friendly states like Texas, Florida, Tennessee, and Indiana with favorable eviction laws, lower taxes, and higher rental demand.