Do you plan to be forthright with the seller and tell him your intent?

I have been a shorter term consultant in international development, traveling internationally with every assignment and doing between 4-6 a year; but during the purchase of the duplex was in transition to a full-time overseas based W-2 job with an intention of using the 200% jump in my income (including the tax savings from being out of the country) to invest in cash flow. 

Do you intentionally limit your occupancy rate to stay under the radar?

FA & FAPI presentationThere are a number of knowledgeable and well intentioned people on BP and self education is always valuable but these are really questions for subject matter experts (i.e. accountants).

If I am to use a realtor (I am not one, by the way) I want them to answer my calls, return the calls of interested parties, set up escrow, order title, QUALIFY buyers before telling me they "have an offer coming", give a critical eye to the property that I may have over looked, suggest a marketing plan beyond the MLS listing and a sign, get the listing into websites beyond the MLS, stop by the property weekly to see that it presents well, tell other agents about the property, have a list of people they can call telling them that a "new, groovy" property has just hit the MLS, live & breath my property until it gets sold.

@Michael Strobel,  A change of tax payer immediately prior to a sale opens up that transaction for the IRS to question "investment intent" of the new tax payer. 

I guess because my intent was to separate both worlds (manufacturing & REI) I never sat down and thought about how my job now could impact my REI future.

Signing contracts to purchase without intent or ability to close is called FRAUD.

The lender will ask about the purpose of the new property and you (or wife) will sign documentation promising that your intent is true and that any fraud will be a $10,000 fine per instance. 

You clearly care, know what your business is doing, and are focused intently on it.