In the VA guidelines, I can only find the following verbiage:A basic requirement of the law governing the VA home loan program is that the veteran has a bona fide intention of occupying his or her property as a home.

jandr is exactly right, I just never contemplated "pre-approval" aka"shopping the loan" as a bona fide system.I do my job, and then based on knowing the matrices HAVE a home for the loan based on familarity with lenders and their programs Before Submitting same.Lenders don't like(as a rule) multiple "submissions" while I know this was never mentioned by jandr, this is what 1 would be led to beleive.We don't submit partial or full packages to lenders (normally) for a "pre-approval", we submit them for FINAL approval, clearing of conditions, and funding.I have submitted contingent on credit, spoken w/head underwriters, etc., just prefer to not "shotgun" or even solicit the file unless 95-99% feedback from A/E/Underwriter is positive and we're just dealing with a specific exception to their guidelines...it is NOT wise (imho) to submit a "package" to either multiple lenders, nor to "partially submit" a file unless there is some specific issue w/the borrower/property that needs to be dealt with in advance of complete submission.

If over $130k - then you should really stop worrying about the self-employment tax on the flips, as you would have maxed out on its biggest component: Soc Security.Next, two minimal participation flips might (it's case by case) escape the self-employment tax if they qualify as short-term capital transactions rather than a bona fide flipping business.

., but it might make sense especially with Roth IRA or Roth 401k contributions.It gets tricky since you need a bona fide business to business relationship... doing other property management and / or handyman services helps create an arms-length relationship (and rise to Section 162 definition of being a business and not a self-dealing transaction).

It determines the rights of an individual lender who inadvertently described his lien on a mechanics lien form as it applies to a bona fide purchaser. 

@JR T This article says, "Courts have long held that hiring on the basis of sex is permissible where sex is a bona fide occupational qualification in the context of serving privacy interests." 

This is arguably still not investing, insofar as it’s not a capital investment on your part anyway, but the returns, structure and upside more closely resemble a bona fide investment.

., the act applies to a "bona fide tenant" who is leasing at market rate. 

That is very different from a wholesaler who presents his offer as "cash" when he has no cash, advertises "quick sales" when such sales are entirely beyond his control, and generally is in the re-marketing business, not a bona fide buyer.

It's a bona fide multi-family but I still think usually a better tenant mindset than 3 or 4 family.