They simply provide additional ammunition should your position be challenged by the IRS.In your interpretation, it sounds like manufacturing bogus emails discussing business can make a personal trip deductible.

In many cases, investors will simply do a cash out refi after a brief seasoning period, with much less paperwork requirements. 

I understand I have a long road ahead of me simply because I'm basically starting from the bottom with little money.

Customer ended up paying me to both undo and redo the work, some material was totally ruined because miter cuts were done wrong, etc.

Post an ad on your local yard sale/ For Sale page that simply says, " I have cash and I want to buy a house As Is."

The past is the past.I would also point out two things based on your comments that may indicate why you chose to go in a different direction.  1) The use of a self-directed IRA custodian - where they have to sign every document and cut every check - is not well suited for a portfolio that involves a lot of assets or assets that create a lot of transaction activity. 

Same goes for deal sponsors - between the fees they earn and their cut of the profits from the deal, they typically earn more dollars investing other people's money in larger, lower-ROI projects than they'd earn investing their own money in smaller, higher-ROI projects. 

At this point I am concerned he would continue to get involved with the tenants and operation of the property after the sale of the property, and bank financing is the only way to cut ties with him. 

Hey all, keep it simply , just have your title co run it, easy :) 

But at the same time i can simply just get out of student loan debt and then save up for a Duplex.