I would argue that if a investor puts a deed in a land trust, he is simply taking advantage of the law not committing a fraud. 

If you have such a good relationship with a contractor you trust, what function does the property manager serve?  

You're very trusting to allow (insist) on your tenants performing their own maintenance.

My advice would be to make strong, trusted connections with other RE professionals who are either in construction themselves, or have a solid background in it.

She says this way I can regulate my gross income increase myself at the level that does not cause child support recalculation.I assume, this LLC option will require including LLC name on the house title, and refinancing the house.

Both projects the lender is financing 100% and we only have to pay closing costs.This can help level up your business a lot and I would highly recommend.

If you qualify, you could use a Delaware Statutory Trust (DST) for the difference (the $125k you were talking about) left over after buying the property you’re lookin at.

The living trust is probably a disregarded entity if it does not have it's own taxpayer ID and does not file a tax return.

Expect the ground to settle for 5 ish years so you’ll likely end up levelling with sand (if you’re lucky) or dirt more seed/ sod later on.

I'm a fellow San Diego resident who is also interested in multi-units OOS.In response to your question, from the research I've been doing (and outside of the residential vs commercial aspect that @Sherwin Gonzales brought up), a big part will be your comfort level and financial goals.