Partner with a BP Member (preferably one in your area): It's a seller's market right now and presumably there is a lot of investor money floating around.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a lawyer in Michigan, preferably the Grand Rapids or Mid Michigan area?  

I'd prefer to keep government out of my business but it seems like a decent program.

Get the mortgage in his name (not my preferred option) ?

This would be my preferred strategy.

Definitely prefer the vision of house hacking with say a four plex and living in one of the units.

Do you have a preference?

You can cut costs and have multiple entities with QB desktop, but the downside is that many CPA firms (ours included) prefer clients with QB Online or another cloud based software.

Most do $1mil in value (not necessarily equity) per LLC as a rule of thumb.Whether to do 1-to-1 will depend on how much flipping you do and your personal preference. 

I prefer to try to avoid locations on those list, and focus on other areas with strong appreciation, so I can have appreciation, positive cash flow, and not be quite as frustrated during the process.