From the description of the duties that a broker will help you out with, it sounds like this is the type of person that I really need from the get go to help me get started out right.I'm thinking one of the first calls I make is to call one of these brokers, and develop a good relationship with a good broker.

Im happy to share any info I have based on my personal expierences along with my referl network.

According to the person doing the survey, one of my neighbors was about 3 feet inside of our property.

He has nearly 40 years experience and his properties are owned in his personal name.

I would like to find a lender who can approve me based on the property and what it will bring in monthly as a rental rather than on my personal finance and credit. 

Let them set a month to month lease and then pay you as the cleaner/maid/contact person.

They are not typically designed to create a profit for the person running it, although frequently that person does well on the deals that come through the REIA's membership.

All transactions involving your IRA must be "arm's length," meaning that you or any other "disqualified person" can't be involved directly or indirectly, and that is not the case as you described above. 

A 1031 exchange is only an option if the properties you're selling and the property you're buying are for business use (generally, that means they have to be rental properties, used for your business, or held strictly for appreciation and not used for personal use). 

Vice versa, if you are just starting out, you might want to be more conservative to tackle any unexpected expenses that arise.The 70% rule is an industry standard, but that doesn't mean you can't adjust it based on your desired ROI.