I think a more ambitious strategy would be to "flood the zone with value" - specifically, pick a few listings in the geography you are interested in that are being mismanaged and propose your plan to that owner just as an ice breaker.

I think looking to get face-time with someone who is experienced in this specific situation and market status would be really helpful to answer some internal questions and provide guidance and external motivation to make a decision and get moving. 

Splitting the parcel depends on the local government, so hard to say, but our understanding for this specifically is that it is relatively simple / not very costly.Whether we split the parcel or not is somewhat the reverse of "greater than the sum of its parts".

At this point I don't have an entity, but I was thinking of setting one up, specifically for the PM side of things if I could manage tax benefits that way. 

Be as detailed and specific as possible when mentioning your future plans, current operation/experience level, ongoing projects, etc.

Specifically, there's job growth (Intel, Honda, Amazon, Nationwide, etc) and the population is growing (unlike Cleveland or Cincy).

I do think something like this is going to be more attractive to a specific audience,  so I'd do the work to analyze that piece of it - and consider other amenities at a similar investment level that might have broader appeal in that pro/con list. 

However, there are specific rules and requirements that must be followed to qualify for this tax deferral.In the situation you've described, your client wants to use a 1031 exchange to buy his mother's land.

RCW59.18.260 ...No deposit may be collected by a landlord unless the rental agreement is in writing and a written checklist or statement specifically describing the condition and cleanliness of or existing damages to the premises...Return it quickly to avoid any further action from them that could cause you more grief. 

If you are planning on living in the property as your primary, you can request to terminate the lease as you will be taking possession for owner occupy, but confirm with a local real estate attorney on the specific verbiage and process as it varies by state.