Basically If I get a short term loan in order to pay for a property and then a year later go to the bank to get the refinance to pay back the loan... what if the market declines or for some other reason I can no longe...

Dryer vents require periodic cleaning to prevent buildup of lint and other combustibles, anyway.

Lender suggested that we cut the stack below unit 5, and re plumb 5 bathroom from ceiling below to prevent having to remove bath tub and upper portion and roof penetration on vent stack.  

Hats off to the team at BP for moderating these forums strictly to prevent spamming, a common issue with other RE forums.

I'd love to do cash for keys and get in that much sooner but I wanted to check and see if there are any local laws that would prevent me from doing so. 

HiIf I buy a foreclosure from the second position for say $200,000, subject to first mortgage of lets say $300,000, and then the first position forecloses - my understanding is it forecloses the original owner, and not me.At this point,  can I pay the lender their $300,000 to prevent foreclosure?

I don't see how you would be able to prevent the tenant from hiring an agent (just as they could hire an attorney or a DPOA to negotiate for them if they were on vacation or in the hospital, or their court appointed guardian could negotiate on their behalf), but you also don't have to pay for it.

What is preventing me from moving forward at the moment is the contractor part.For example. if the advice I receive is that in order to enable a good flip i would need to be very hands on and that contractors are hard to find , I would likely avoid a more aggressive project like a multi shell.I am looking to flip and hold the first property with the hopes of getting an attractive entry point for cash flow.

There are many last minute events that will prevent contracts from going forward.

Perhaps getting a home security system will prevent future "abnormalities"?