Becoming an AU on someone else's card can help as well, but it's weighted less heavily now by some agencies than it was in the past. 

Forcing someone to take a loss on a property;3.

My question is; I am looking to by a commercial property 10 unit apartment, but the seller does not have a profit or loss statement and is not willing to go back and do her books, she does have 3 year tax statement.

At 80k underwater no one is going to buy the property at a loss unless there's an aggressive outside of the box strategy, What area of NY are we talking about?

If you have other stock that have taken a loss, you can sell those to offset the gains.  

My question is; I am looking to by a commercial property 10 unit apartment, but the seller does not have a profit or loss statement and is not willing to go back and do her books, she does have 3 year tax statement.

Lastly, when a self-employed individual maintains more than one trade or business, the questionarises as to whether the limit is based on the sum of earned income or loss from all trades orbusinesses under common control [as defined in IRC 414( c)) as modified by IRC 415(h)], or ifonly the trade or business maintaining the plan being tested is used.For purposes of the IRC 415limit, earned income for the self-employed individual is based on the sum of the earned incomefrom all the controlled trades or businesses, regardless of whether the related employer maintainsa qualified plan [Reg. 1.415-2(d)(6)].EXAMPLE: Andy, a sole proprietor, operates a law practice as a sole proprietorand has $100,000 of self-employment income from such practice for 2008 (prior tothe reduction for one-half of self-employment tax).

If your wife is managing things full-time, she can designate as a real estate professional which will help on the taxes, especially the rental losses.

I also spoke to our buying agent, she's at a loss as well.

Hypothetically, my wife enjoys real estate so she works more than 750 hours in our personal investment real estate which would qualify her as a "real estate professional" which designation provides unlimited passive losses to ordinary income.