Taxes, Landlord Experience, and VA Loan Questions

[Tyler Christensen]

Hey Everyone,

New guy here looking for answers from all of you experts! I have 3 questions, and I have been looking for answers for a while, but just can't seem to find them. Currently I have a single family 1506 sqft 3 Bed home with 2 roommates.

#1 If I have roommates and claim the extra income at the end of the year (which I am going to do), should I claim depreciation on my home (66%)? I've read in various places that I will still have to recapture the depreciation whether I claim it or not when I sell. (Assuming I make a capital gain)

#2 Does having roommates count as landlord experience to a loan officer (when claimed on taxes), when applying for an investment property? . I am under the impression that you have to have 2 years of landlord experience when applying for a loan on an investment property.

#3 My current loan is VA. I used $173,000 from my entitlement and I have over 25% equity to date. I'd like to build a 4 plex using a VA loan and I'm looking to spend about 400K on it. If I refinanced to a conventional loan would it restore my 417K entitlement and allow me to build the 4 plex? I am also planning on living in one of the units for a year and renting my current single family out.

Thanks in advance for your responses. It's refreshing to stumble upon a great community like Bigger Pockets!