One of the requirements for a multi is that every living unit must have independent utility services or at a minimum 1. legal provisions ensure and protect access to utilities for repairs, even if passing through other living spaces, 2. easements or covenants protect water connections, and the VA approves of a maintenance agreement; 3. there are separate service shut-offs for each unit. 

Get rid of that deal and make it stop hurting you. 

Try stopping by some of the local lumber yards ( Parr, Dunn, Matheus, Boise Cascade, etc...) and ask for people they recommend. 

Can they stop us ???

If so, I don't see what would stop you from moving into MFRs or apartments.Once you have a seasoned apartment, you don't need to worry about your personal tax return as much as my understanding is that commercial lenders will primarily care about the deal itself (particularly on a refi).

I was thinking about offering access to my YouTube.tv account in the service exchange as a catalyst.

Just to clarify, I do not have enough income from real estate alone to scale into 117 units (and just to clarify even further, I do not plan to stop at 117!) 

I still bought 1-2 houses per year and stopped at 13 with about $120k/year in income. 

But I want to get access to another MLS within the state.

My hubby is a seasoned journeyman carpenter with a good number of contractor connections nearby, and he's eager to stop working as a Union carpenter and put all of his energy into real estate investing.2.