The 2% rule is popular and if often attributed to Mike Rossi, and his book "1 Minute to Rental Property Riches", though I imagine they didn't invent their respective rules. 

Not that that is ok, but you have to be able to definitively attribute a payment to a tenant.

I attribute it to the 'feeling out' phase similar to that awkward Blu-ray vs HD-DVD time. 

I saw a news blurb recently that was attributed to Zillow which said their metrics had Big Bear:...As the “most popular vacation town.”

Hey Rob P.I've heard many great attributes of success from Sean's Flip 2 Freedom group.

You're absolutely right, and yes there is a benefit of going with a lender who offers both the Hard Money Loan and the refinance exit - Many lenders who offer this combo will often times wave the pts attributed with the second closing when you refinance into permanent financing.

Overall, the deal took 7 months to complete, 2 more than planned, 1 of which can be attributed to me for balking at paying $800.00 in staging costs (live and learn I guess), and one of which was outside anyone's control, and the bane of most rehabbers, the weather.

I would like to take what will be approximately 1/2 of the sale profits (those attributed to the rental home) and do a 1031 exchange with a new home that I will then rent out.I hope to then rent a place of my own in another town.Would this be alright?  

I personally don't think you can attribute the remaining 8% appreciation remote work.

The portion of the income that the IRA receives that is attributable to the non-IRA (borrowed) money is viewed as taxable.