I am planning to perform a cost segregation study on the STR's I have purchased to take advantage of the bonus depreciation rules currently in effect to offset the tax consequences of leaving some $$ on the table coming out of my 1031 exchange.

Those tax returns are due by June 15th of each year and you should consult with your tax professional.W-8ECI Form remains in effect for a period starting on the date the form is signed and ending on the last day of the third succeeding calendar year, unless a change in circumstances makes any of the information on the form incorrect.

So it may make sense to just put it all into one hard money loan.The other thing to consider is if you have to pay a 3% fee to use your card, like with a lot of wholesale suppliers, and your rehab only takes 3 months, you are effectively paying 12% on an annualized basis for that money, which ends up being more expensive than a hard money loan.

It sounds like Irvington is established already but is it still up and coming?

Pete sounds promising, especially with the high appreciation potential there.

REITS that own shopping malls or sky-scraper office buildings are effectively the walking dead and many will not survive. 

I like the sound of option 2 but the risk profile of option 1.

Also MTR pricing software might not be effective yet because there are so many variables with properties its hard to truly comp and get an apples to apples comparison (without looking further into the property and the amenities that are covered)For example the pricing software will not know exactly which utilities are covered, how nice the furniture is, term of lease which can impact the rate, other amenities that is not uniform amongst MTR inventory.I recommend manually finding comps on Zillow.

When you meet him, mention that letter 30 minutes into that meeting, the light bulb will go off, but now you're not just the rando letter person, you're also the person that knows the person who introduced you, etc.That's sounds a good strategy. 

Flipping sounds like the easiest entry into real estate investing but from what I have seen it has the most pitfalls for a new investor.