My short term goal is to complete my first wholesale transaction before summer.

Delayed Financing ExceptionA cash-out refinance within six (6) months of a purchase transaction when no financing was obtained for the purchase transaction are allowed under the following parameters: The new loan amount is not more than the actual documented amount of the borrower’s initial investment in purchasing the property, plus the financing of closing costs, prepaid fees, and points (subject to the maximum LTV). 1.

Make sure there is a lot of cash transactions in the area your thinking of investing in.  

Can I start out using that site, but merely run any business side transactions as my personal name?

The "personal gain" for your Realtor in introducing you to a preferred lending partner is likely to be limited to transaction comfort and accessibility  as well as referrals to other buyers/sellers. 

She used to work for the city in the planning department so is very familiar with the whole approval process and of course maintains relationships with the city. 

as a small investor with limited funds you should consider our of area transaction until you are more established.  

Since I started the thread and I was in the navy I just have to add check what your paycheck says : department of navy All joking aside though do you have any ideas you would like to share?

I would recommend checking with your cities zoning department to see if the property would be allowed to be rented out separately.  

A great feature of QBO is that my credit cards and bank accounts assigned to my rental property LLC link and automatically push transactions in daily.