When I complained to the city about the alley having three kiddie sized swimming pool holes, city refused to make repairs and then trumped up fines against me up to $1,000.  

For the STR loop hole and REPS there is no limit to the losses that can be used to offset W-2 income.Hope this helps

This response is a shift from what I originally posted I know- I spent all weekend down the rabbit hole and have clarified my thoughts a bit, which was what I was looking to do when I posted!  

I was speaking with a man who has a long history in lending and working for a bank, and he was poking some holes in an investment strategy I was formulating.

All though I am inactive but one can pop on NMLS and find me  :)  And like I said I have been paid off by Cogo itself so i know they do pull some loans through the knot hole..

Your best bet at this point may be to dig some test holes in the basement and see where the footings are.

I can find someone else to do the same thing without being an a-hole.

Right now, your fighting saying this square peg won't fit into the round hole. 

This is a pretty old post - not sure why a newbie felt the need to resurrect the dead here - and I'm not sure the OP is still hanging around, but if he is:The first rule when you are in a hole is to stop digging.

Without going down a rabbit hole here and overwhelming you, there are also creative ways to buy properties without needing to get traditional lending, but these types of deals are harder to come by and usually come with more risks.