we stop at Freddies for supplies when we head out to Cathlamet for family stuff..  

You can get a HELOC for half that rate.You wrote "...tap into my home's equity without taking on the burden of direct debt," but of course you still have debt, it's just under a different name/structure. 

Im looking for a great contractor who can work with structural additions.

I'm currently shifting some of my assets into small single family homes in a part of the country where real estate is still pretty cheap. Each house will have roughly 25k in equity. My concern is that it's a huge hass...

I believe in the project and the people, but I don't know how to structure the deal. 

But if you ask me what is the most important to have when acquiring multiple rental properties with multiple tenants, I would say that the number one priority is having a very strong insurance policy structure as your first line of defense for any unexpected/extraordinary events.

The DST has the advantage of being 1031 compliant as do the Tenant In Common (TIC structure), and for the most part any NNN stand alone or land lease.  

@Victoria N HoffmanIf it's trade specific, I go to the local plumbing supply / electrical supply etc...

(repost since i did not get many replies)I just got my first rental condo. The condo is currently under my spouse and my name.A few questions How should we put as owners of the property? Us as owners? Or create an LLC...

If you don’t have other options you might consider structuring a business partnership with him in a separate LLC.