Hi thereAccording to IRS guidelines, once a property is ready and available for rent, meaning after you completed the renovations. you would  be able to deduct expenses. snce this was your main home,  the tax accountant you will use will need to do a conversion from personal residence to a rental for depreciation purposes. the improvement you made, depending on what they are, may be added to your basishope this helps

I had found some regulations about VA guidelines and it speaks about recent separations and states that anyone who has recently seperated and doesn't have the needed 2 years job security can still be processed but underwrites will use their best judgement and will have flexibility.

That will be tough to use your HELOCs together to get another loan because of your collective DTI so it will depend on that.

Not worth time & effort to go to court, your first meeting with an attorney will cost you as much as the rent.

I’m eager to learn from those with experience and willing to put in the work to gain hands-on knowledge.I’d love to connect with others in the community—whether you’re seasoned investors or fellow beginners like me.Looking forward to any advice or insights you can share.Best regards,

Will not be doing the work myself again2.

Not one single strategy will work for every property. 

Finding a condo that allows Airbnb/STR will be challenging, they're rare and cost more because of it. 

@Will F. some of this will depend on what you have to lose if you were sued.  

Thank you Preston I will check it out.