I did know of apartment specific painters that would do rooms for 100 each and the whole 900 sq ft apartment for r900 including paint.. but that was 20 plus years ago.

If I am incorrect, you probably need to pay the mortgage anyways since they can now foreclosure since the property isn't owned by a veteran anymore the SCRA shouldn't apply and even if the lender doesn't realize it it won't apply forever and you'll eventually need to pay it PLUS the amount is rising with interest, fees etc.

I know I mentioned FHA loan, would the same rules apply to a different loan?

Some of the Yellow Letter information applies and some doesn’t.Experience and reading through some of the more technical information on finance, real estate and marketing discussed elsewhere on BP is the only way to move from beginner to a level where you can earn a sustainable income.

You can do this all at once if your state has a low cap (rent for our units has a late fee applied on the second) or if you're allowed a larger late fee you can apply it in stages 1/3 on the second, 1/3 on the 7th 1/3 on the 11th. 

If you could renovate and split off an ADU or even apply to turn it into a duplex or triplex (although that will cost plenty of money with new kitchens, utilities, etc.) that could very well be worth it.

Quote from @Mary Joe: As long as you have justification and you apply the standard equally to all applicants, you should be fine. 1.

We are having issues with a painter.

They go through their underwriting process and approval, which as I mentioned may be slower than applying for a new loan. 

(BTW, that agreed on price should be the main data point in value).Even in a commercial appraisal, applying a cap rate to determine value, +- a quarter percent, which is a perfectly reasonable delta amount, will swing those values dramatically.Like BPOs, appraisals also use terrible comps many times, especially when they are doing so blind with no set sales price set to achieve.