Perhaps check with a lender and see how they would evaluate your current debt if you were to apply for another loan. 

Check their website lucky dog land deals.

Check out my personal favorite, Set For Life by Scott Trench , or The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey. 3.

Check out my post from a few months ago - https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/530/topics/1144123-lend...I did a survey of a bunch of lenders to find out their policies on active STRs and how they are valued.

They also checked box 2b which says "Taxable amount not determined", but the IRS has ignored that check and focused on the taxable amount for the deficiency.Does anyone have any guidelines, a court case, lawyer recommendations, etc. that could help me defend myself in court?

I’ve already started the calling process and got about 10 in and wanted to check here before to make sure I wasn’t wasting my time before I continued.

@Johann VillalvirThe first thing I do when looking at a rehab is check the permit history

If they don't know you, there is usually a lot of hesitation towards heavily leveraging the purchase and rehab of a home to someone that they don't know well.This is a good start (posting and being active on BP), but checking in with local REI groups and reaching out locally won't hurt either.

Metal water pipes start filling in as they get older, check the water pressure to see the condition of the pipes and for leaks and don't forget to check for leaks in the drains. 

Not yours homie, keep that stuff in check.