Tell them this is strictly to build up a credit rating to show that you can pay your loan back on time.2.

Section 8 is very strict about this.

strictly in an accounting sense you'd debit a current asset/ cash account and credit either a short or long term liability account depending on the length of your leases.

Partner or strictly a lender?

His employer is actually the federal government (DOD) and they have very strict guidelines to what they will and will not pay for.  

Okay, then it's strictly whether you had flood insurance or not.  

You can also look to HUD regulations, Certified Counselors, usually under the seal of a non-profit, or an attorney may get involved after notice is given.

An investment property has more strict guidelines, therefore you need a larger down payment. 

I am mainly concerned about the strict separation between me and the IRA, and figured I should avoid having a paper trail with my personal name on an offer that eventually is owned by the IRA.I didn't submit the offer today, and will hopefully be able to do so tomorrow after consulting with the custodian.

A buy and hold scenario is much more complicated, has a ton of rules and regulations to follow and you lose a very powerful reason for RE investing - depreciation deductions.