I am moving to Oregon this summer and will be transferring to a university up there so i will take a cut in bah unfortunately.

I'll add a couple items - while you cannot transfer Roth IRA funds to the Solo 401k, if you have Roth 401k or other qualified plan funds, those can be transferred to a Solo 401k.As far as creating self-employment activity, there is no minimum amount of work or income that is required.

It's SOP to ask for two years of Sch-E to be provided 5 days after acceptance. 

In CA as long as your are not soliciting as an agent/broker, marketing as an agent/broker, selling as an agent/broker, and you actually have properties under a signed contract (from all required parties) with the and/or assigns clause, you can transfer your equitable rights and interest in the contract to an assignee.Consult with a professional attorney prior to engaging in any activity tho.

Through my initial research, I was under the impression it couldn't be used for business purposes (how would I transfer it under my LLC?)

Or for him to transfer the deed to me without any money but have in writing that he will get "x" amount when the property is flipped?

I ended up replacing the cabinets that were beat up the most and transferred the doors to the other side of the duplex that were missing.

Have you considered the tax consequences of collecting rent (from yourself) and filing the Sch-E form?

Make sure you get any utilities you are responsible for transferred into your name so the tenants do not experience a disruption. 

I cannot speak for NY but in most every state I work in, the bulk of the costs are third party - appraisal, title, transfer taxes, etc.