Property  held for investment is any property that produces portfolio income such as  interest, dividends, annuities, or royalties not derived in the ordinary course  of a trade or business.

You're trading the risk of missing a rent payment, for the risk of a zillion dollar law suit. 

Well, you can do whatever you like... but realize the consequence is reasonably strict if you violate and are caught.

Yes it is true that you cannot use the 1031 on the properties you are dealing with right now because your intent must be to hold for productive use in business trade or investment.  

I am perfectly willing to trade a few dollars here and there to improve my quality of life.

PROS: - The note is an 80% loan-to-value - there is a 10% interest rate on the note - I have excellent credit - a sum of cash would be offered to the new owner of the note as an incentive - an early payoff penalty would be in place on the note CONS: - there is no payment history since the note creation and trade will take place almost simultaneously - there was no down payment paid to the seller of the house Are there any firms that would accept a note like this?

Your behavior has consequences.

Checking with the departments one by one for each land listing that looks promising seems very inefficient.Regarding costs, i hear build costs of containers vs stick built being similar, but I had wondered if that is taking all aspects into consideration like build time, foundation and site prep requirements, etc. yes, steel cutters and welders are a special trade but the structure can arrive pre-built and potentially just sit on concrete pier foundations if the soil and zoning allows.

Is the answer just to work fast or are there tips of the trade and best practices? 

A real estate agent / brokerage trade or business doesn't constitute a 'specified service trade or business' under IRC Sec 199A.Best to talk to an attorney for the legal perspective, a tax CPA/EA for the tax perspective.You have Disregarded Entity, C Corp, or S Corp at your disposal for tax, assuming you're the 100% owner.