In 3 years you will have an already seasoned referral base plus the referrals from your existing clients. 

Once you talk to your tax person you should have a lot better idea as to what will work best for you.Some general tax write off ideas:Does your business need equipment that you can purchase and depreciate aggressivelyCan you do Stock loss harvesting (Sell a stock you have at the loss take that as a write off to help offset gains 3,000 cap I believe) Repairs/ upgrades to existing real estate you choose to use as a write off all in the current yearRetirement accounts (you may also be able to contribute on behalf of kids) 

At my day job we consult with c-suit executives of retail, restaurant and location based entertainment clients using proprietary data licenses to help them determine the best location for opening new stores, analyzing can cannibalization of existing stores, competitive analysis and more.

Any other advice the you can lend would be much appreciated.If they are under a term lease with a specific end date in the future, you must abide by that existing contract until it expires.

If you reject the lease assignment then the existing tenant would still be responsible for rent and the existing lease stays in force, so you have gained nothing. 

We were able to permit an already existing bathroom and "bedroom" into a legit bathroom/bedroom that moved the house from a 2/1 to a 3/2.

I rent a house (I live in the house), and when it rains alot, and the ground is saturated, a small river starts coming out from the foundation, runs down the cement stairs and goes down a drain. 

Below are some CA markets that allow for non-owner occupied STRs:- Monterey- Palm Springs- Fullerton (near Disney Land)- Sonoma County- Huntington Beach- Santa Barbara- Joshua Tree- Malibu- Big Bear Lake- Newport BeachGranted, you'll have to do research on Rabbu and Airdna to find the best spots for cash flow, but they certainly exist.

Yes, this is what I'm trying to achieve (0% down), but I was curious if I could do it without seller financing.This does not exist. 

Also, if you change to using an LLC, you can transfer deeds into the LLC, but won't be able to transfer existing mortgages.