There is alot to cover and I'm sure it will end up in a mess for both of you as it's clear you have not been doing this long enough to gain the skills and knowledge to pull it off.....so my suggestion is to pull that option and get things set up first.

I would guess getting 20% appreciation in the next 6-8 years would be the top end of possible expectations, unless there's something you know that's going to happen in your area to drive that level of gains.

There is an old saying about not paying for something you can do yourself making you wealthier, like hard work pays, but not if you are really making more money or a more economic benefit is gained by having someone else do something.

When you learn to apply the tax benefits for example to a large family farm for development, the gain for the seller can be a killer (I did one that the family had from the 1870s).

This can also be set up as a passive investment and fund retirement as well.

Properly created landing pages can gain a higher quality score with Google. etc. - You will gain higher ranking and spend less.3) Design using a mobile responsive setup.

Another thought is that if you do move into the townhome and live in it for two years, you can then sell and have a tax free gain.

Good rentals don't actually generate passive losses.

The other aspect is while some deductions and strategies might be legal they GREATLY increase your chance of an audit.If the payoff is small then risking an increased audit for the small gain might not be worth it.You need to have this discussion with your tax professional.no legal advice

Apartment investing is by no means a passive investment for someone with no experience.