If you're doing this for anonymity purposes, maybe a revocable trust makes sense - minimum transfer tax in NH of $40 and no-one can look up the beneficiaries of the trust to know who is behind it, which makes it more challenging for someone looking to sue you/take your assets.

I had a short sale went into contract but it's taking forever to close because the seller bank still has not provided the consent letter.

Have a lawyer review the contracts to know for sure if it's revocable or you have to use the existing contracts until they expire (then you can replace them with your own).

You want to limit the value of property in each LLC so losing one doesn't take a big bite out of you.You'll need insurance, even with an entity structure, and you'll want to have it set up so your revocable trust owns your business entities and not you personally.

It would depend on the specific set of circumstances on whether there would be step up basis.In general, if a buy and hold investor holds an asset is their name or in a Revocable Living Trust, then upon their passing, the beneficiaries will receive step up basis.

There should be no problem getting a bank to lend to your brother granted that everyone agrees/consents to the "entire" property to be used as collateral.

Your mother can likely not legally do anything with the property without the full consent of all joint owners.

A Trust might be better, any transfer to a revocable trust will be allowed by your lender. :)

If one owns an undivided one-half interest in a piece of property can that one-half interest be split/sold between 2 others giving them an undivided 1/4 interest in the property with all of the same access and use of that property without the consent of the the owner of the other undivided one-half interest in the property?

Private loans are not reported to credit agencies unless done by a loan servicer with consent of the note holder to do so.