The game is about getting the best possible start in life, and money in the bank and a low cost degree are two obviously great moves.

I was under the impression that bank statement loans are an option for self employed

@Chris Miller history doesn’t repeat itself, but it does rhyme.I remember 2006, and how the fed was engineering a beautiful soft landing and everything was great and home builder stocks and banks and investment banks were THE stocks to own because all the data was pointing to a rosy future.The only data source you would need is the yield curve.  

Banks don't like them so it can sometimes make it harder to get loans.

For example, I had a client in Austin who worked with a small, local bank.

I wanted to consolidate banking to a credit union as I am investing much more in real estate and SMBs.

can someone describe to me what velocity banking is?

Thinking back, had I refi at 10.5%, I probably had to do it again when rates dropped to 7.5%, doubling my overall refinance cost.The other lesson I learned is develop good banking relations.

I used a couple 401k loans, a line of credit from a random local bank and a few 0% interest for a year credit card loans.

Unfortunately, you must refinance the property completely with a new mortgage in order to pull equity out (or pursue a line of credit with a local bank).