Hard money and llc for buy and hold investments

[Donald Bryant]

HI, I'd like to start by saying I'm completely new to real estate investing. I've spent the last several months reading books, researching the internet, listening to podcasts ect.. I know a lot of people say you should find a deal then find the funding, but without any previous experience I would like to have a better understanding of how hard money works. I am from Indiana. My area has a lot of high paying factory jobs and real estate that can be found for very affordable prices. I feel that it would  be an excellent area for buy and hold investing. Here are my questions and concerns:

It is my understanding that you must have an LLC to work with most hard money lenders. Is this always the case?

If you set up an LLC to borrow money from a HML is it going to be an issue when you try to refinance with a traditional 30 year mortgage?

I've been approved through a hard money lender website for a 1 year term. From what I've researched most banks will only refinance a property that you've had for 1 year. How do you close on the house before your 1 year term is up with a HML?

When using a hard money lender do you have to have an estimate from a contractor to present them?

Any information will be greatly appreciated! Thank you!