Looking to make and foster connections in SoCal.

Just like you cannot question an employee if they fill out an I-9/W4, you assume it to be true and correct.

What about employee salaries and benefits etc?  

Assume that, in a given calendar year, a loan originator organization pays an individual loan originator employee $40,000 in salary and $125,000 in commissions, and makes a contribution of $15,000 to the individual loan originator�s 401(k) plan.

The effective tax rate (capital gain) would be at 15%, I would plan on taking W2 income as an employee. 

You may have tried some of these already, but: showmojo.com, hotpads, zillow, trulia, craigslist, facebook area renting groups, advertising move-in specials, contacting all of your good current and past tenants (when possible) and giving them a referral bonus, direct mail postcards to other apartment tenants (check local laws/codes), putting up flyers at local businesses and schools, calling HR departments to get on their housing lists for any relocating employees, calling non-profits orgs who provide housing for special needs folks, call your local HUD office, etc.I normally try for a 15-18 month lease this time of year so that you won't have the same issue next time the unit vacates.  

If you are a realtor with 1099 income and no full time employees you could set up a Solo 401K with checkbook control for you and your husband and roll over any IRA's ( except roths ) or old 401k's .  

Roundabout transactionsA roundabout transaction occurs when the IRA owner  structures one or more transactions with the purpose of knowingly or not knowingly making a prohibited transaction.The prohibited transaction rules are further discussed in the following link: https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-prohibited-transactions

I will be receiving a stipend from my current employee and have heard of others claiming large amounts of dependents (W4 form) so that the monies can be deposited into an IRA.

But it has been on my mind for about 7 years now that I want to start and grow a business with employees, with the intention of selling and scaling.