Do I establish each LLC in Florida and create a foreign LLC in NC/DC or is there a more efficient route? 

But talk to someone in Wyoming and they'll give you the legal advice in a more professional sense.

It resulted in many "co-sponsors" getting their broker dealer license and raising capital for outside investments in a more black and white way.  

Yes Carrot focuses on helping you get more highly motivated leads online through SEO, paid marketing, and our high performing sites... ... but my real mission at the start was to help to start to elevate the industry to be a more legitimate industry, with higher trust, more transparency, and to challenge all companies in our space to just operate in a way that advances the industry in the right direction for the long-term rather than making a quick buck and causing the trust in the industry to regress. 

I feel a more accurate headline for this post is “How I Made Me Lose My Life Savings”

Another lesson I learned was to have a more concrete scope of work to help create a more accurate budget and to add a buffer in the plan for things that come up that are unexpected.

Quote from @David Lutz: @Jeremy H.The title of the post was to grab eyeballs, a more accurate title would have been “myth of cashflow in the early years for OOS investors who are not handymen doing their own repairs on lower class properties” but that’s not nearly as catchy.

Grand Rapids is definitely a good market for multifamily investment as it has also seen rent growth unlike other parts of the country for multifamily.It is also a more affordable place to invest compared to other parts of the country and Grand Rapids is generally landlord friendly.A quality property manager is essential for an out-of-State investor and there are some good ones locally.To Your Success!

Quote from @Diana Mulvihill: I think "soaking tub" is a more accurate term.

I'm sure a more modern solution like Swiftlane will come at a price, but it may save you from some headaches with building security and tenant retention.No matter what you decide, congratulations on the 8 units thats awesome!