As for an offer, start with your ARV and subtract out your renovation costs, financing costs, a reserve amount for contingencies, any profit margin if you plan on flipping it, closing costs for both the buy and sell sides, and soft costs for the permitting, etc.

I'm aware of a couple off-market deals that I've dug up for other investors, and I know a local investor that owns over a hundred of units that he'd consider selling, all the way from bare land, to single families, to multi-units including several apartment buildings.

I could also increase the NOI by taking over management myself.Seller is motivated to sell because he's out of the area and trying to consolidate his holdings for easier management.  

Properties that require $250K are selling for near market values.

Keeping the properties separate is mostly for the different depreciable lives and it wouldn't matter a whole lot when you eventually go to sell the property.

Sit down with them and ask them to educate you on the buy sell process and the market for your type of investment.  

This combined with 1031 means I can sell and never pay the gains deferred in the 1031.- you or your spouse can qualify as RE professional and the limits the OP discussed do not apply- you can use the “STR loophole” (terrible name) to not have the limits the OP Discussed apply  - a derivative of the STR loophole that for lack of better name I will call the MTR loophole will let you provide amenities to not have the limit the OP discussed apply.I suspect there are many more.  

So the only options are to house hack or buy and sell- which isn't honestly the best idea right now. 

Also, be careful with exit strategy where the more rural areas may provide more cash flow, but may not appreicate and are gonna be tougher to sell in a down marketGino

Six years ago people were selling houses for $10,000.