I have access to it with a few of my lenders. 12 or 24 month bank statements, 15-30 year loan terms.

I bought the home just over two years ago when interest rates were at an all-time low.

Hey, I invest in Indy for many years and I'm out of state.

I do not plan to sell any time soon but do plan to refinance in the coming years.

When it is a new development, it isn't uncommon to see someone use the date the Certificate of Occupancy was issued - perhaps that marks the "ready", but it still might not be "available".So you can certainly have a property in service in a given year, but not actually have any rental income - but certainly your facts and circumstances are much better if you can actually get a tenant in there, that (should) shore up your defense on that question ever coming up unless you are playing weird games just to get a given in service date for tax purposes.

If you really don't value your agent's ability and think you can do it better, it's likely best that you 1) interview more to find one that you do trust, 2) go through the listing agent, directly, if you're that comfortable with handling your side on your own, or 3) maybe get your license so you can control your side of negotiations with the proper tools needed (MLS access with agent info, showings, contracts, tax records, uploaded listing docs like surveys, disclosures, broker assistance for questions, etc.).

If this was your first year getting a 1099, then there might be a small chance that you could get away with just this year's 1099.....HOWEVER, since you have been 1099'd for 2 years now, then the mortgage lender may request tax returns before extending a mortgage. 

Many investors from California are choosing to invest in the Midwest because of the low barrier to entry and yearly cash returns making more sense in these lower priced markets.

We lived there for 2 years while renting the other unit out to friends.

I attend about 10 conferences a year and they have the money to advertise and pay for the booths.