I purchased the property from the Shelby County Land bank. 

Our economic system has inflation, which favors the banks, baked into the system.

I want to refinance it about 12-18 months later into a bank loan. pull out money to pay off the HELOC and enough for a down on a 2nd house or duplex.

Looking for in country contacts banks, agents, contractors, recommended areas, etc to prep for a productive visit.  

Someone with $10M in the bank in cash just needs to put a lot of money to work and time value and tax write off is more interesting to them than a hungry investor in their 20s that has never found a deal.Honestly, books are great, but they are about as "boiler plate" as you can get as I'm sure you're discovering.

Make sure it explicitly explains the process for termination if you are unhappy with their services, especially if they violate the terms of your agreement.3.

Then your best bet are probably community banks which have more flexibility (albeit worse terms) than larger banks and also worth looking into are DSCR lenders.

@Jennifer Fernéz I run sum numbers for you with our tool, see comments and pics below before refinancing and post refinancing .Financial Breakdown: Purchase Price: $200,000 Mortgage (LTV 80%): $160,000 Interest Rate: 6% (30-Year Amortization) Mortgage Monthly Payment: $959Upfront Costs: Down Payment (20%): $40,000 Closing Costs (3.5%): $7,000 Renovation Costs: $15,000 1 Month of Carrying Costs During Renovation: $1,548Total Upfront Required: $63,548Year One Rent: Monthly Rent Income: $2,000 1 Month Rent Losses during renovations (-$2,000): -$167/month distributed over 12 months Total Rent Income: $22,000 per year => $ 1,833 per monthMonthly Expenses: Mortgage Payment: $959 Property Tax (Assuming $3,000/year): $250 per month Property Insurance (Assumption): $100 per month Utilities (Hydro, Gas, Water): $275 per month Assuming 5% Vacancy: $92 Assuming 0 % Repairs & Maintenance first year because unit has been recently renovated Total Monthly Expenses: $1,676Monthly Net Cash Flow: $157Post-Renovation Refinancing Strategy after 12 months:So far, we’ve purchased the property, completed renovations, and rented it out.Next, you can approach the bank for a refinance to consolidate a portion of your initial investment into a mortgage.

So when the bank requires insurance for the loan amount.. that will work generally.. 

They don't care when you try to explain all the future projects, they actually hate hearing that since it sounds like a scam, when an investor says, "Give me a good price and I will have a lot of work for you" it sends chills up their spines.