I have done a couple of podcast episodes on DSCR loans.  

That average person given limited access to a property is not going to have the experience required to know what to look for.Yes, i would have a couple of your most trustworthy contractors with you when you walk the property and i'd film the walkthrough / take as many photos as you can.With a full hour you can easily assess most of what would be needed to account for 

Getting $235K in Maple HTS is a hefty price tag unless it's a brand-new build.We've managed to bump up low appraisals by $20k in Maple HTS, but it really depends on the specifics of the deal.     

I'm a brand new investor, have binge listened to every podcast, read the books, and am ready to GO!!

.: @Jay Hinrichsinteresting point - would obviously help brand new homeowners who are $5K short, or just over the DTI threshold, or whatever. 

For me, start with either the property who's lease expiry is furthest out in the future OR property that has seems like it will be easiest to manage.3) From what I have heard, rent has really moved upward in GVSC - I'd call a couple RE Agents or property managers that have rental listings in the area and tell them your situation / ask them to send you closed rental comps.

Real estate investing Conferences/Expos - These are a great way to completely immerse yourself in real estate investing for a couple days, and be surrounded by like minded people the entire time.

When fixing up a house is the garage door something that usually gets changed to a brand new garage door? 

Do you need all this for a couple of rentals?

i do think it's challenging, though, for a brand new investor with zero experience to jump right into a huge rehab with a contractor they've never worked with before.the contractor might want a larger up-front payment to mitigate their own risk, and they're not going to be interested in any kind of fancy nonsense like a 'penalty' when they know a new investor has never managed a large project before.i have also found that some contractors, including reputable ones, don't even want to share itemized bids because they just don't want to have to argue about the individual line items.