They apply, but you are just subject to gift tax at that point, which does not actually result in a tax bill for you, but a reduction in your total giftable allowance which is ~13M dollars. 

Hey Eric - I would do this as 1) gift funds and you are the sole owner or 2) make an LLC with the two of you and put them as a 24% owner so they will not have to sign onto the loan.

- Current income- Hope of price appreciation- Vacation home to go to- Future retirement home- Store of value/hedge against inflation- Generational gift to the family- Alternative to traditional retirement investmentsI'll go first. 

You’re already giving strangers the equivalent of a cash gift every month.

None of the above is new or earth shattering, but his marketing blitz approach and auction style open house along with gift cards for signing in, free stuff if offer is made within 48 hours etc.

Save and wait unless you can find a killer seller financed deal.And by relative willing to lend  you $2000 - you will want to ensure it is a gift (a true one).There is a difference between lend and gift and it can have a meaningful impact on if those funds are valid for financing sake.

You may have an amazing gift from Uncle Sam.

answer to #4: Speeding things up to do more deals every year, i'd say begin looking into partnering on deals with friends or family who perhaps have yet to purchase a property so they can use an fha 3.5% down or 5% down conventional loan, you gift them a portion of the downpayment for a % of equity in the property.

However after talking to my lender, he said that we would not be able to use my fathers "gift" to purchase an investment property.

I know this is a bold statement but spending 20 years there owning and loaning to out of state investors many times on the same home 2 to to 3 times and one landlord fails and another picks it up and has to remodel yet again.My tips are a gift to the employee not the business owner.