In our view, lending is much safer, predictable, and backed by equity.

This is just the company that I became familiar with, but would love to learn about an alternative 

This is an alternative."

I have heard about a company whose website is www.sayrhino.com that offers an interesting  product.  It  allows tenants who don't have enough cash for a security deposit to get an insurance policy for $10-$20 per mont...

What is your alternative during non-school seasons when units are vacant? 

Expect to pay a few points higher from alternative lenders and less frequently will those loans be adjustable where you can benefit from the fed cutting rates.

If gathering everyone on the same day isn't feasible, detailed photos and videos of each area needing work can be a great alternative for initial estimates.

Any alternatives to this?

Have you considered exploring alternative financing options, such as private lenders or partnerships, to help you expand your business further?

If house-hacking isn't your thing, then maybe BRRRR is, or even just identifying buy-and-holds to just start getting some kind of cash flow is an alternative as well.Happy to help where i can, good luck!