Further, in order to count the rents from the home that you are living in, it must have 25% equity and you must have a signed lease agreement and have received the 1st months rent and deposit and can document all that. 

I recommend buying that package to ensure you have a solid lease that matches the techniques taught on BP.My favorite book is "Every Landlord's Legal Guide" by NOLO.

Think of all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.

Think of all the things that could go wrong and see if the lease addresses them: unauthorized pets or tenants, early termination, security deposit, lease violations, late rent, eviction, lawn maintenance, parking, etc.5.

Collect 6 month deposit?    

As a rental agent, I have met shady landlords that kept people's security deposits when denying their applications if they lied about prior evictions. 

Another big one is the ATMs of smaller banks sometimes would not have deposit capability or they claim you can deposit your checks at any ATM in their co-op network.

I am stuck officially and have been for well over a year. Part of the problem is that my spouse and I are completely different pages with our ideas of what properties to search for and go after. This initially started...

Their entire deposit was used for damages. 

If you get written permission from the owner, then perhaps; but if I was the seller I'd want a higher deposit in case you destroyed the house and then bailed on closing.