OrSecond: buy a single-family fixer upper (400-500k) home, live in it for 2 years and either sell it to avoid capital gains tax or rent it out. 

Hey @Christian Hanus, LLC are passthrough entities for tax purposes (unless you elect to do c corp which is not applicable here) So you hiring yourself to do your own renovations really doesn't do anything material.

BTW leases are in some cases actually considered real estate and the lease itself is taxes as real estate.

It will be tax free when it cooks off..

San Diego flood victims are being provided permit amnesty so that previously unpermitted work can be rebuilt.It is interesting that if your property has unpermitted work, the city is providing amnesty so that the property can be rebuilt as it was prior to the flood.  

Is this after tax or pre-tax & what type of tax treatment is this investment recieving? 

I understand that as one acquires more types of assets, taxes can become more complex, and I want to ensure I'm maximizing my savings.Are there any CPAs in this community who also own real estate and could offer guidance or share their experiences in navigating taxes as a real estate investor?

But post-tax is what matters most to an investor.

Someone still has to cover taxes, insurance, and upkeep during the foreclosure.

And, the last I was in Tulum was prior to the pandemic.