-Can I put it in as an asset and depreciate it, instead of putting it in on my Schedule E primary worksheet?

if you can build/network a list of trades and vendors that could help. 

I am willing to trade time for knowledge.

I'm trying to figure out what are the trade-offs of hiring a property management firm vs just doing the initial work myself.

Maybe you have a some sort of executive job working 70 hours a week, a family, etc. 

Their job is to do all of the heavy lifting by souring opportunities, performing due diligence, lining up financing & investors, and executing the business plan from start to finish.

They gave some response:- Very familiar with Pacaso as we’ve had a call with their executive team.

@Anthony Cuiffo I hav e a friend, @Brandon Penn in that area looking for some more units.

They will probably want as much allocation into FF&E (furniture, fixtures, and equipement - the non-1031able parts) so they get quicker depreciation. 

The response here is a bit late but thought I would share in case helpful for others in a similar situation:The self employment tax applies if you have income from a trade or business (which a facts and circumstances determination), regardless of where in the world that business is conducted.