No matter where you live or where you own assets, I personally recommend the Series LLC to be a great tool for the individual investor who is planning to expand their operation, as it allows for you to scale infinitely for FREE.

A transfer to a trust is exempt from due on sale violations since banks will view transfers to a trust as an estate planning tool.

The only reasons I can think of why someone would do this is A: They realized they are way over budget and are heading for a loss, they want to recoup their investment and move on, leaving someone else to deal with it. or B: they are catering to designer investors who just want to put their finishing touches and design on the property without having to the nasty demo work and such. 

Cater to your market; I provide a kegorator, pellet gun and bird bait in one of my STRs.

What are some tools or local knowledge I can use?

A lot of forum members are very knowledgeable in their respective fields related to real estate investing, whether that is real estate sales, wholesaling, flipping, rentals, lending, self-directed IRA and Solo 401k investing, or tax and legal guidance.Discounts on some products and services are offered to BP members: https://www.biggerpockets.com/perks/proIf you haven’t been to it already, you might want to check out the BP blog: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/The site has quite a few tools that can be helpful for new members.

Yes the rates are higher than a cash out refinance, but this is such a useful tool to have for investors, its worth the higher adjustable rates. 

A lot of forum members are very knowledgeable in their respective fields related to real estate investing, whether that is real estate sales, wholesaling, flipping, rentals, lending, self-directed IRA and Solo 401k investing, or tax and legal guidance.Discounts on some products and services are offered to BP members: https://www.biggerpockets.com/perks/proIf you haven’t been to it already, you might want to check out the BP blog: https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/The site has quite a few tools that can be helpful for new members.

The VA loan is a great tool to have at your disposal, as is an FHA 203k Loan. 

So you are looking for services that cater to those who visit people in the hospital.