Ok, its been a day and i didn't get any response. its ok because it gave me more time to try to wrap my head around this. its taken all the brain power i have but i think i have it figured out.

Make sure you know how much power that gives you at the negotiating table and be aggressive.

I don't stop for a second to think about IRS rationale for various rules - I have no power to influence them, so I just want to get maximum benefit from their rules and regs.You depreciate the cost basis, which includes your purchase price plus capital expenditures - and diff. parts/systems can have different depreciation schedules if you choose to adopt accelerated depreciation.  

The VA Loan is a very powerful tool you can use up to the four plex level, and if I had it freed up, I plan on using the VA loan on a multi family home once the loan is freed up. 

Knowledge of the law and process is very powerful in negotiation and finding deals.  

The wasted money is the money you put down to avoid something that is not costing you as much as the loss of earning power on the down payment will.

You will learn and knowledge is power.  

Power of compounding interest is most powerful force in universe said some smart guy way back when ;)

I also include a power of attorney in my loan docs and have already taken over title on one of these properties, so if the tenant doesn't respond quickly, I will be able to quickly move them out.  

. ** Here is my power phrase that helped me weed out stuffy bad Realtors.