My primary goal is to verify current employment, wages, and outlook (if they will go this far).

I am in NY state now, in my small cottage that is my primary residence, and I rent for summer season.

You clearly don't know what your doing and should NOT, by the rules and codes of NAR, be a primary listing agent on anything right now.

Are there any lenders offering HELOCs for small business owners who primarily use bank statements to qualify, especially those with write-offs? The credit score is around 720, and the property is owner-occupied, which...

Even if your rate is in the 3's or 4's you can still get a rate in the 5's right now for a primary home and take out up to 85% LTV. 

My primary residence is currently being remodeled- new kitchen and bathrooms.

Here we are 8 years later and the only home I own is my primary residence.

Rates are starting to drop fairly fast and for primary homes they are already down 1.25% from earlier this year. 

I would nonetheless be the contact person and primary decision maker with property management and my brother would be largely silent as per his preference.

Couple things I wish someone told me when I rented out my primary in Katy:- your taxes will go up dramatically over time - cash flow is inconsistent- while Katy is a fantastic rental market it's still competitiveTo answer your questions: - yes, the homestead exemption will increase your taxes at a faster rate but you can protest them either yourself (I don't recommend as I've tried and it was a pain) or with a professional service- To start, you're either going to pay for books, classes, etc. or pay the school of hard knocks.