The owner owns the home free and clear, and then took out a reverse loan-HECM line of credit about two years ago.

Some lenders looks at age of the company and revenue (e.g. business line of credits) hence single LLC may be easier.

Sometimes you get someone in the group that is just terrible at their job. 

Asking for POF (lender pre-approval, bank statement, line of credit etc) for a property like you have is perfectly normal. 

This sounds like maybe an OK house for you to live in and a terrible rental. 

Traditional banks sometimes balk at it because they see it as riskier, but local credit unions or regional banks tend to be more open to it, especially if you can show a solid plan for development or resale.

We accept cash, credit, check at any time of the month, for any period of time.  

You can also pull credit report, see if they are being sued etc.

Perform the same task in each app to ensure a fair comparison.Load a property with pictures and details.Market that property.See what your marketing looks like from the public's perspective.Submit a fake application to see how easy the process is.Run a credit/screening report on yourself.Enter a maintenance request, assign a vendor, and attach a fake invoice.Enter charges to the tenant's ledger.Enter recurring charges and automatic late fees.Sign documents electronically.Run owner reports.After testing a few apps, one should clearly stand out.

Since lost job I am running into the issue with bills, but try to move fast to make sure nothing like my credit is mess up.