@Joe Splitrock - and putting aside my personal like/dislike for our current president, the tax reform plan will hurt economy in the end, slowly and gradually.........Give it 2 years and the impact will show up...or at least that is my view of it....Like I said, rob the poor to give to the wealthy does not work...

Also, under the new tax reform, they can be completely expensed.In other words, the new tax reform amplifies the problem you're addressing.

Reagan’s 1981 tax cut created a real estate speculation frenzy that the 1986 Tax Reform measure brought down to earth.

They are selling not just coaching and additional seminars, but a computer program that gives you access to everything you need to run an investing business; RE forms, RE community, rehabbing templates that can minimize headaches with contractors and speed up completion. 

They are taxable to the donor, but as was previously described there is a $14k annual exclusion to each donee, and a lifetime exclusion worth approximately $5.5 million and growing with inflation (may double in 2017 under the tax reform bill).

It's probably worth paying attention to which way the wind blows with the House Tax Reform Bill.

Based on the proposed Tax Reform with the substantial increase of the Standard deduction would it make more sense to refinance my investment properties as a cash out and payoff the mortgage on my primary residence.

With the new tax reform section 199A might be an option for you, but it's too new to try to take advantage of DIY. 

Florida is more extreme due to the lack of insurance reform, Surfside,and Ian. 

I don't see a landlord's job as trying to reform thugs.