The current interest rate environment’s impact on HELOCs will offset any potential benefit very quickly.

Yes, I am making sure that the loan officer I am comfortable with the loan officer I am working with and they are open about everything.

Then, you can consider possibly  exchanging those that don't fit your goals.In the current environment, I would be very cautious of making any sudden moves without fully assessing your current situation and returns.

@John Mezzoni I always put 20% down, it’s my comfort zone for keeping enough equity and hopefully payments low enough to leave some cash flow.

So many that I've spoken with haven't made me feel comfortable enough to hand the reigns over to them.

I have a property that is a 2/1 and can comfortably sleep 4, but because of city guidelines I can only advertise a 3 Max Occ.

I think it really comes down to what you are comfortable with but I don't think background check, credit card check, etc on top of a signed lease (and even small security deposit) is unreasonable for an MTR. 

Ask if they take debit cards and credit cards or must you write a check, The way I am comfortable with paying is payment for the job x amount, payment for the decorations according to a gross budget for everything, as they are purchased vs giving a pool of money to draw from.

Generally speaking, when scrolling through listings, I'm looking for 3 things: pets allowed because I always travel with my dog, quality furnishings including comfortable living room seating (futons are a definite NO) and a king sized bed.

And one room was about 10’x12’ and we still got a dresser and a comfortable chair in that room as well.