The IRA funds would not be able to be combined with other personal funds as in your note above. 

I got the current owners (person who is selling me the property) blessing to post the house for rent right now with a move in date of August 1st if I wanted to. 

Would I be able to deduct depreciation against my personal w2 income without having rental income for the year? 

Rent the other side of the duplex to a person you then employ as a full-time (or part-time) nanny.

Tenant also agrees to the following:-All drains, waste pipes, and plumbing are accepted as clear by Tenant at the time of occupancy, and any material blocking them after occupancy shall be repaired at Landlord’s cost, unless determined by repair person that such blockage occurred during the time Tenant controlled the Premises and due to some fault or negligence of Tenant, specifically excluding blockages caused by roots or backups from the street.

They are saying if a person lived on the property for more than 14 days contiguously then their damages can't be considered vandalism.

Have a deal I'm analyzing, but I need some more insight as to how to get a solid ARV, since comps are sparse.

Also, I would personally get rid of the dishwasher as well, 1 less liability to worry about.

Most of the sites I've found seem to be more targeted towards investors, and not the person bringing the deal opportunity.

Hi Adam,If you hold a license and have been through the purchase process before with other agents, I personally would be open to doing it myself (I am also an agent and have done this very thing).