I am irrationally terrified of not performing on a deal, so I have always checked in with a few potential loan sources to make sure I could qualify for the loan before making any offers.

Although no single factor is determinative, the combination of several factors supporting a particular result is sufficient for a court to decide whether a taxpayer held property for sale to customers in the ordinary course of a trade or business.

I have it advertised to rent now and I've got someone who is potentially interested in purchasing the house outright or doing a lease option. my questions are:1.) if I sell it out right, only having owned it for 4 months will I get slammed with self employment tax and regular income tax and not be eligible for 1031 exchange. or could I still call it an investment property and be able to 1031 because my intent was to rent it?

There's a potential to use the maximum eligibility with these 2 purchases but you can House Hack them and increase the cash flow vs market rates in the area.  

The Kansas City Chiefs' triumphant victory in the Super Bowl not only ignited celebrations across the city but also sparked discussions about its potential impact on various aspects of life in Kansas City.

-Cleveland, has a lot of cashflow potential, average multiform around $140k. https://learn.roofstock.com/bl...There are other smaller markets like Dayton, Akron, and and Newark, which we are starting to see these areas boom due to huge investors and corporations like Intel choosing to set up shop in these kind of areas.

See if someone sticks out as a potential partner. 

Specifically discuss with your CPA the ability to deduct depreciation expense over time, allowing you to deduct a portion of the property's purchase price as a non-cash expense, meaning you can lower your taxable income and potentially lower your tax liability.In other words, you can reduce your taxes by writing off expenses from your total taxable income.

A smoking deal will consist of an asset that is severely underperforming but has clear potential (and you can prove it), or is an overlooked hotel that has the opportunity to change brands to a more upscale brand, thus increasing the rate and occupancy and becoming more valuable.

Most of those areas you’ve mentioned still have amazing appreciation potential.