My tenants utilize an online payment app (Roof), I run credit and background checks online (SmartMove) and keep all of my records in a folder on Google Drive.

This stands in direct opposition to a capital intensive industry such as manufacturing where employee and owner skill may be less important than the company's fixed asset profile.While S179 is a valid strategy in the attempt to drive a taxpayer's taxable income below the 'threshold amount' so the SSTB receives the un-phased out Sec 199A deduction, a SSTB may not have the investments in fixed assets necessary to drive them below the threshold during the year unless they're already very close to the threshold.Some other ideas for taxpayers owning a SSTB to lower their taxable income:Roll taxable bonds into tax-exempt bonds.Life insurance & annuities.Real estate (it's BP after all).Oil and gas investments.Charitable gifts (including CRTs).Gifts to taxpayers with lower taxable income (powerful option is to gift a percentage of the business to a trust).If a SSTB is well above the threshold, a compelling case could be made that the business should be a C Corp in the current tax environment. 

Small-time HMLs may not require an appraisal but this could be because they will drive out and view the property themselves.

Does anyone know a reputable hard money lender in Las Vegas or the surrounding area's that would be able to help me with my request?

If residential I like more the suburban areas in GA within a 45 minute drive into Atlanta.The last down turn most of all that stuff close to intown Atlanta imploded for value and almost became worthless.

The drive from the IE to LA can get long, but in the end you will do whatever you need to reach your goals.

These separate properties are in traverse City Michigan and closely surrounding areas as well.

If you drive your Investment Vehicle by looking in the rear view mirror (looking at past data), you will crash your Vehicle.

Since I'm starting out, I wanted to invest somewhere close (I live in Toronto so driving distance from TO), did you do some local deals first then ventured out of state?

if it is surrounded by residential rezoning to that should not be hard,  although as mentioned it could be expensive especially with converting to res codes.