The most important thing to do is either you or your wife need to qualify as a real estate professional (IRS definition, no realtor license required).

The parties experience, strengths and availability are critical to ensuring  the partners duties and responsibilities are compatible and capabilities are sufficient to execute on the business.

Even with an ITIN and LLC, etc...Can discuss when we meet next week also 🙏  I think they might get around it by nominating the PM or some neutral party to be on the checking account with them.

This part is true.

Do not try to qualify as a real estate professional with a w2.

How would a professional business handle this?

While I work towards becoming a professional engineer and working with developers, my goal is to own a couple multi-unit properties by the time I’m 30.

Quote from @Agustin Rossi: I use Propertyware, which is for professional property managers.

The one big downside is that to make her happy I have to keep buying houses.An added benefit is that she qualifies as a real estate professional (per IRS) which saves us a ton in taxes.

I wanted to use my introductory post on Bigger Pockets to prompt feedback and advice on my current foundational plan from industry professionals that can guide me on my journey to success. - How can I maximize my strategy for investment longevity?