The 1% rule is met when the annual income of an investment property is equal to or greater than 1% of the purchase price.

If she wants to gift that back to you using annual gift limits that is fine. 

This creates two loan payments ($100,000 of equity and $300,000 on the new mortgage).Key NumbersHome Equity Loan Interest Rate: 6%Mortgage Interest Rate: 7%Rental Income: $3,000 per monthExpenses (management, taxes, insurance, maintenance): $800 per monthIncome and ExpensesMonthly Rental Income: $3,000Monthly Expenses: $800Monthly Mortgage Payment: $2,000ExplanationThe investor earns $3,000 in rent each month.They pay $2,000 on the investment property mortgage and $800 on other expenses.This leaves $200 profit each month or $2,400 per year.However, you have to pay $6,000 interest on the equity borrowed.This leaves you with an annual loss of $3,600.This example shows that while the rental property generates positive monthly income, the interest cost of borrowing the initial $100,000 results in an overall annual loss.

Looks like mortgage is over $4K/month on a 30 year mortgage.Purchase Price $950,000Down Payment $70,015 7.37%Mortgage Insurance 35000Closing Costs $18,000.00 4% $18,000.00Interest Rate 4.25%Term in years 25Financed Amount $914,985Payment $4,956.82Renovations/Repairs $20,000Out of Pocket Costs $108,015Monthly Assumed % Manual InputRent $6,000Property Mgmt $480 8.00%Vacancy $300 5.00%Maintenance/Repairs $180 3.00%CapEx $45 0.00% 45Insurance 50 0.00% 50Property Taxes 419.7 0.05% 419.7Rental income tax 0.0 25% 0.0Expenses Subtotal $1,475"Annual % Increase(rent + expenses)" 2.5%1% ruleGross monthly rent should be >= 1% to total purchase price0.63%GRM (Gross-Rent-Multiplier): the lower, the better13.2Cap Rate (Net operating income (annual) / total purchase price): the higher, the better5.72%Net Income After Financing (/mo.) = Net operating income - financing costs-$432years Monthly CashFlow1 -$4322 -$3183 -$2024 -$845 $386 $1637 $2918 $4229 $55710 $69511 $83612 $98113 $1,12914 $1,28115 $1,43716 $1,59717 $1,76118 $1,92919 $2,10120 $2,278 

Franchise Taxes and Fees: Some states have franchise taxes or annual fees for LLCs.

While you could be granted an exception to use a 12-month lease if the property was acquired mid-year, it doesn't sound like you have an annual lease if you rent on a shorter term basis.  

(New roof, paint, etc) and proceeds even if we paid capital gains taxes could pay down other properties debt including adjustable HELOCS which would double our annual income but of course we would lose a door. 1 property is currently vacant and I anticipate at least $10k to refresh including new gutters.

Quote from @Daniel Solano Wolfe: Hi everyone, I'm new to the BP community and currently live in the bay area.

@Irene Gustaitis It’s best to keep your LLC in Connecticut (CT) since the property is located there, simplifying legal and tax obligations.Even if you get an LLC in CA, you need to register an LLC in California (CA) and will have to pay the $800 annual franchise tax without gaining significant tax benefits.

For reference sake, the approximate value of the existing portfolio is $2B, and the annual net rental payments after expenses returned to investors are approximately $108M in 2024.