We used a HELOC from First Bank and they were great to work with in getting us a HELOC at a great rate. 

Ive seen many attempt to DIY on their own form a distance and fail.  

Banks even today are 7 to 8 I only use banks.

There is always a chance that rates will drop, but I would imagine $25K would buy down the annual rate so significantly that you would never see a lower rate offered by a bank so you wouldn't even think about refinancing.

It would be great if there was a way to find out which banks offered the Vendee loan so we could target them a little better. 

We use a 3rd party company that specializes in only property management trust accounting (nothing else), and they reconcile the bank account every single day.

Overall, it can be a profitable business, but most people get into it to become an investor and 99 percent fail right away because they don't know the slightest thing about repair costs, talking to sellers, and are only in it for the money and not to help people.

I was at a CCIM luncheon recently and some of my lender buddies and I were discussing that many of their banks are getting out of multi-family because of rising costs to manage the properties...including taxes and insurance.

If he failed to pay, it could be construed to be a failure of consideration so the deed fails and she's still in title with him and all he can convey is his half. 

The best bet is to talk to a small local bank (or three) about your options.