If trump hadn’t won you’d be forced to sell this year, but hopes are high he will extend his lower tax rates. 

@Tanya Maslach I highly recommend that you look up/connect with Nobel Crawford, he focuses on corporate placements and teaches clients how to do the same 

In my observation here in Santa Rosa, the first lots out of the gate that sold went for too high of a price. 

I'd highly suggest getting to some local meetup groups in MKE:  https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-real-estate-events-...When you say you are considering alternative financing options, what does that mean?

@Cathy Ries Yes, tax planning before acquiring rental properties is highly beneficial, especially given your situation.

The overhead to start a company is low, but the cost to scale is high. 

I've seen plenty of high end places that still use metal frames, nobody cares/notices.

Talk to your attorney, and if you dont have one, get one - as @Ken M. said, this is highly specific to the state and the circumstances.

You are right about high risk of default.

I have not paid retail for RE in many years and would not in my high cost market (average SFH is ~$1m).