Much more cash flow stability there, and in many other similar states..  4-plexes here are in some pretty rough spots..  

I'm in the process of setting up something similar.

Has anyone dealt with this or something similar?

The only similarity is that the name of the person teaching is part of the business name.

I know this is more of a personal decision, but is there anyone here on BP who has taken a similar route?

we've been asked the same question by a dozen or so good friends who live in/near SF about whether it's worth postponing the ownership dream, given where the bay area market is in 2018. personally, I think that right now is the time to hold off on entering the bay area market... unless you find a truly off-market, discounted opportunity through networking or a personal connections.sidenote: moving to the east bay (alameda, particularly) actually shortened my commute time into my day job in SF, compared to when i lived in SF. i'm sure you've heard this perspective before, but there's goodness to be found in the east bay, if you are dead set on buying in 2018/2019.from an investing perspective, there are still strong returns to be found outside of california. that's why we recommend to friends with capital that they consider looking into investment. that way they can start building wealth now and position themselves for buying that beautiful home when the time is financially right. sidenote: i recently posted on a similar topic on this thread. you can see if you scroll down and there are dozens of other helpful comments on this topic, on that thread: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/12/topics/587593-general-do-you-rent-or-own-the-home-you-currently-live-in?

Okay - so you should know that Utah is a pretty big state for LLC's, due to low costs and similar / comparable protections as other state's LLC's. 

To completely defer the gain on the rented portion of the duplex, you need to acquire property that is similar or related in service or use to the original property that costs at least as much as the amount realized upon conversion (e.g., insurance proceeds).It does not mean that you have to actually spend the insurance proceeds related to a rental portion of a duplex, the replacement property must cost as much the proceeds but can be acquired via a mortgage. 

Btw, the way Meetup works is once you register/join one group, they (Meetup) starts sending you suggestions for ton of other similar groups. 

Does anyone have any similar experience with my current situation, and if so, how did you handle it?