Its only good for tax purposes if its still a wise investments and you do not lose money on it.

The idea of purposely burning down the home came to me.

How do you evaluate if a property is ideal for flipping or if you should keep it as a rental? I never understood why people would have a flip, boost the value by tens of thousands of dollars, then sell it as opposed t...

Never pay an upfront fee.You didn’t mention your state but understand that with little exception, an NMLS registration is only required for consumer-purpose loans.

So, for the interest paid on the loan from August through December, who can claim the interest for tax purposes?

Just make sure your personal use doesn’t exceed 14 days, or 10% of the rental days, to maintain its rental status for tax purposes. 

What are the pros and cons of each, and which offers the least restrictions, flexibility and cost savings for my intended purposes?

It is my understanding that the new owner will have the house at the cost basis of my purchase price, for calculating capital gains taxes or depreciation.For gift tax purposes for you - FMV.For capital gain tax purposes for the recipient - your original basis/purchase price 

LLC-A is a disregarded entity for tax purposes and I report the rental income/expense on Sch-E. 

I wrote the above for informational purposes.