Various title insurance companies offer their customers access to proprietary research tools.

Last year (2015) we sold the property and made a decent profit, but the 1099 is in my name only.Do I claim half of the profit shown on the 1099 and give my cousin a 1099-MISC for his half?

If you've experienced no costs, the guy left willingly and left the unit in good shape(no residual odor, etc), I don't see any reason to penalize him financially.If the guy takes you to small claims for the deposit, how are you going to prove that he was indeed doing this in the unit?

I finally did a quit claim because my lawyer advised me it could be another year in the courts and more costs at which point, I'd be just proving a point rather than getting any of my investment back.  

I have some customers who want me to look at their property.

yet I am going to do my first flip and make over $90,000 ...maybe these folks could link to the property appraiser site so we can see the actual numbers...otherwise I say folks are coming on here making bogus claims

He stays with friends and gives them some cash, but they don't claim it as income.  

He claims it is easy to get 20% down and get the property quickly occupied.

Even though you closed on the last day of the month, from the information given, it does not appear that you have any significant investment property related expenses to claim on your 2015 tax return.Your CPA with full knowledge of all the details of your transaction and your intended use of the property can give you a more meaningful answer.

If you purchase the house and act as the "builder," you obviously take on more risk (if they back out, etc), but increase your margins.If you haven't flipped a house before, I highly recommend not doing your first as a custom renovation.