So, if that's a condition for you to buy, you can forget the idea right away. 

If the tree was a straight tall tree that did NOT overhang the property and it fell across the property line damaging your garage then that could be the neighbors liability if they knew or should have known it was in poor condition.

You have to keep in mind that a plex will never be valued the same as an SFH, and renovations may not have the same effect on the value as an SFH.If renovations are not needed right now, I would work toward getting the rent to market for the as-is condition and then renovate each side when you have turnover. 

They offer competitive terms and have a robust track record, but you may find their rates and points can vary based on the specifics of the deal.Roc Capital: They focus on fix-and-flip loans with favorable LTVs, and they’re known for quick underwriting.

Either you or someone you pay has to build them, no one is going to send you their workflows/automations/marketing campaigns that work for them because that's their competitive advantage.

We've recently received term sheets for hard money from Conventus that are quite competitive. 

@Mike Dymski, in my experience raising institutional capital early in my career, I would disagree about "following a sponsor" for years, and actually many of the deal level analytics (a majority of institutional investors invest in funds not deals), but your point is generally correct.Ultimately, what I see a lot on these forums is that a lot of people are relying on the investment manager to also educate them on macro economic conditions, which will always carry a natural bias towards their types of offerings.  

A question for everyone viewing the post: Would you consider HELOCs as a conditional strategy only reserved for ' great cash-flowing ' deals?

I realize that the competition is one step, if not multiple steps ahead of me, and that is okay because I know that I can reach people who will say yes to me.

Refinancing next year would likely allow you to lock in a potentially lower rate than the 8% you're currently at, especially if the market conditions continue to favor lower rates.Avoid Duplicate Fees: You're right in thinking about avoiding duplicate fees for the refinance and HELOC.