I have an investment property in Pittsburgh, PA that I am rehabbing for rental, but I don't want to go through the conventional route.

If you do decide to do it you can get better rates on conventional loans. 

You will likely pay less than half the addition cost, be able to obtain convention f/f financing, will not have to do the work, will not have to deal with a construction zone, will not have cash outlay months before first associated income, etc.  

Hello Malgorzata - for the condo, my lender told me I could qualify for 3-5% down, but most likely have to put 20% down for a condo with a conventional loan.

I'm willing to leave the property empty for a year to take advantage of owner occupied loans, if that's possible.Here are my estimates..Property: 1,355 sq ft, | 3br 2bath | 8,500 sq ft lotComps / ARV: 500-560k ~ 530kTotal Needed: 340-400k ~370kSale Price: 270-310k ~ 290kRenovations: 70-90k ~ 80kSevere cleaning needed (doing myself)Severe landscaping needed, it's a jungleI'd like to maximize potential value and be at the top of in-area comps, so would like to do a full gutCash on hand: 20k - 30k------------I'm considering,- Seller financing + separate renovation loan- FHA 203K (BRRR)- Fannie Mae Homestyle Renovation (if down payment is below 5%) (BRRR)------------Seller Financing + Separate Renovation LoanPros:Low down payment (via seller willingness) <= 3%Low interest rate (via seller willingness) <= 3%Cons:I'm unaware of how I can finance rehab without a personal loanMust cash-out refinance to obtain equity, conventional loan rate will not be as good------------FHA 203KPros:Low down paymentBundles rehab costsCons:Higher interest rate than the seller financed loanMust cash-out refinance in order to obtain equity and make an investment property------------Fannie Mae Homestyle RenovationPros:Bundles rehab costsCons:Higher interest rate than the seller financed loanMust cash-out refinance in order to obtain equity and make an investment property------------I may be totally off on what would be optimal here but wanted to provide my current thoughts.

Refinance:- After fixing up, the property's new appraised value (or After-Repair Value - ARV) was $312,500- Lender was able to give me 75% of the appraised value as the conventional loan- Conventional loan was $234,375 (0.75 * $312,500), and they gave me back the difference between this conv. loan and the short term loan ($234,375 - $212,000) = $22,375 to me as loan modification- Refinance closing cost (incl. appraisal and others) was $13,502Overall BRRR Analysis:Purchase cost:           $32,598Amount on rehab:    $14,091Refinance closing:    $13,502--------------------------------------------Total in the deal:      $60,191Loan modification:  $22,375(Lender gave back)--------------------------------------------NET IN THE DEAL:   $37,816--------------------------------------------Why is BRRR so great compared with conventional?

I'm working on getting a cash out refinance on a Rental property. I feel that the lender is asking for a lot irrelevant documentation. I have a small printing business, C-Corp not related to the rental property. I pay...

The difference between interest rates on a conventional loan and a DSCR loan can be significant and cut into your cash flow.

The investors for conventional loans (Fannie & Freddie) layer on to the pricing (i.e., rate and points options) for condos.

I was told I cannot do a conventional CASH OUT refinance once I lease it to an operator of RAL since lenders do not lend if you run a business in your house.