For many syndicators I suspect they could not function economically without up front fee's so in their structure is expected most of the time. 2.

If average 30 year fixed loan rates reach the mid 5%'s many of the NON-QM mortgage programs that are currently rate prohibitive will also become more workable as cash flow and return ratios improve.

Did you take his loan broker program?

Rent paid for all of the expenses, so it cost me nothing and over the years (I kept it for ~20 years) price almost tripled by the time I sold it.Not sure what grad program is 3 years (I'm used to 2 for masters, 4 for PhD), but if you do need to sell one, I'd look at each property and see which one has the most equity, highest interest rates, lowest return, major expenses in the near future (eg new roof) and you mentioned you'd lived in two for 2 of the last 5 years, so have capital gains exemptions. 

Most programs will lower loan to value max if the market is declining as determined by the appraiser.

The brokerage offers an appealing Flat Fee 100% commission program.

If the program would allow open bids then I would feel much better about the program.

However, not everyone has the income to qualify conventional, so the alternative route would be DSCR loan where the program doesn't look into your income, instead it evaluates based on the subject property rental performance based on the ratio system.

I'm always looking for ideas on how to balance functionality with aesthetics in open spaces but I'm curious,how did you decide on the design flow between the kitchen, living room, and dining area? 

Use the lookup function with my name and cargo containers for a post on them.