principle residence only with no rental income or depreciation claimed on tax returns - the 250/500 rule applies with 24 month holding.  

As long as you get it rented by the time you apply for your VA loan you should not have an issue. 

I should also mention that the neighbor's sewer line tees into the same line as mine, but the tee is below the restriction caused by the crushed/flattened pipe so it is not causing them problems.My plumber and I are also looking at the possibility of a completely new lateral run that circumvents the neighboring property entirely, but at this point it looks like the only way to do that will require burying it in the street and down the road, and applying for a permit for a new tap.

You will still apply a CAP to the RV numbers, but remember you CAP the net, so you need strong and accurate income and expense numbers to go from.

The change in law made by this Act applies to thedisposition of excess proceeds of a property tax foreclosure salepaid into court regardless of the date on which the foreclosure saleoccurred or the date on which the proceeds were paid into the court.If on the effective date of this Act the clerk of a court isretaining excess proceeds and Section 34.03(a)(3), Tax Code, asadded by this Act, applies, the clerk shall mail the notice requiredby that subdivision as soon as practicable after the effective dateof this Act.

It's my fault for not making a plan and then applying it. 

This amount is reasonable if a tenant only has to apply to one rental before being accepted, but it can become burdensome quickly to renters in our area who routinely apply to several units before being accepted.  

The Assignee pays me the assignment fee, and it is applied towards their down payment or funds to close.

I do some brokering and we do a $199 (refundable) app fee to weed out the tire kickers that's applied to closing and covers the BPO and a few other fixed costs, so a small amount up front isn't necessarily a bad thing, but $2500 is crazy.As has been stated, a private lender is just that, someone you know that will lend you money.

Don't make offers unless you really intend to purchase the property whether you find a buyer or not (applies to wholesalers).