You can shop 10 or 20 lenders in a weeks time, find out what products they offer, what rates, what overlays and qualifications they each have for you.... 

You find this out by talking to people, speaking with past residents, people in the industry, or mystery shopping the property.Using technology to pull in data so you don't have to manually type it in, is helpful, but other than that, I would not trust automation. 

I'll definitely be doing some research on The Short Term Shop! 

Before buying or renting in an unfamiliar neighborhood, you should check the following two sites: SpotCrime, AreaVibes,These sites provide valuable information, including Livability Scores, which cover aspects such as crime rates, employment, health, housing, schools, shopping, and more.well, anything can happen anywhere.

We did some paint, carpet and light fixtures - and let the market appreciation do the heavy lifting. 

As a one-stop shop for mortgages, real estate, and property management, we save our clients money and time by providing a seamless experience.

I actually had come across your post below in the Events forum and thought to myself it would have been nice to attend that to see first hand a local flip and talk shop about the process.https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521/topics/1215682-chec...I am happy to hear that someone with your experience in the region feels that Westchester is a market with some potential.

You can take out a lot of complexity when you buy property that only needs maye paint & carpet.

Personal loans through the credit card companies can be approved and fund very quickly and my best rate is 7.9% so shop around as some are much higher.

@Brandon Croucier is giving you solid info on finding an experienced and honest mortgage broker who can shop your exact scenario both ways, with the rehab and without and break down the benefits of each with all fees so you can see an apples to apples comparison.