Can't you put locks on the windows?

I locked in the early bird price of $3,536, which includes the hotel and conference tickets for two people. 

A reliable team, including an investor-friendly agent, property manager, inspectors, and a lender, is essential.

We still have to network and create a reliable team, so this would serve us as time to meet contractors/agents/other investors/etc...We are planning to start investing ~$200k depending on the deal.I'm writing this post to get some advice from somebody who might be more experienced in New York, and possibly to start creating some connections.

You may be locked in on that amount until the lease expires.  

The purchase prices are cheaper, the supply/demand ratios are much more favorable, the cash flow is higher and more reliable and you can take advantage of the massive growth Atlanta is expected to see in the coming years and decades. 

Does the prepayment have to be determined before the lender locks in a rate, or is this something that can be negotiated afterwards.

Like you said time, or trust, or reliability etc...In my case, as I am a real estate agent focused only in investments, i can bring deals, contractor who are investor friendly, good lenders, partnership with other investors i know etc... + those non-tangible things that I mentionedDefinitely!

These home value increases(in high prop tax states) and insurance increases is not causing a real cliff like price change to the absolute mortgage cost, but it's definitely creating an uneasy feeling to alot of people who have locked in low rates and are seeing massive YoY changes in their monthly amount.

Rentometer is not a very reliable source, especially for nicer and updated units.