@John O'Leary  I kind of have the same issue, but it's a condo in the building where I currently live.

You don't necessarily need a CPA licensed in those states to provide you with tax planning, tax advice or to help prepare your return.licensure for CPA's by states are normally important when you want to provide assurance / auditing related assurance

Im a fix n flipper, and this is my first year reporting income from the business to the tax man and I don't want my taxes to have been reported incorrectly for fear of future issues should they arise. 

I know it's a relatively new phenomenon, but I've looked into refinances and HELOC's.

We used to live in Oz so I can relate to the lifestyle down under.

This can be particularly appealing if the seller is facing financial difficulties, needs to move quickly (perhaps due to relocation, divorce, or other personal issues), or the property has little to no equity and they can't afford to sell it through traditional means without bringing money to the closing.

I know that the rent is guaranteed, but that isn’t enough for me probably since I haven’t had very many issues with nonpayment of rent. 

This shouldn't be an issue for most DSCR lenders.

That ruling was interesting, but still leaves the issue unresolved.

He might  consider  selling to you and saving some funds in his  bank and  using a reverse mortgage to  purchase the proeprty .   2)  for your side -if you need to keep the down payment low - using the  VA loan is a great idea ...already having a VA loan outstanding you might have an issue  using another VA loan .