Just make sure your references are legitimate and get their permission to talk about them.

This would enable you to come up with  less of a down payment.

Russ is a wealth of knowledge and he legitimately loves to help people out.

Having someone with you enables you to bounce these ideas off of each other.

My landlord is interested in selling the property, and the prospective buyer wants to raise the rent to $1000 (which is fair market value), and my current landlord wants to know if I would agree to the rent-raise for the remainder of the lease, in order for the sale to complete.My landlord is concerned that the sale will not close if I don't agree to the rent raise; however, in the interest of fairness - I did sign the lease with the legitimate expectation of paying $800 per month for 6 months.

That would open the wall in the kitchen to enable another cabinet but it would at least make the living area seem less consumed by the fireplace and would make it more modern looking which would make your appraisal come out a little better when you refi and would help you get better tenants because it would look more attractive.

During all of the above, try to find some other legitimate reason to reject the applicants.

All legitimate lenders I am aware of charge origination fees, usually 1% to 2%.  

Not only I am enabling myself to this I want to exceed my goal and invest more allowing me to make this my full-time job.

I am not telling you what to do, but you do need a legitimate reason for denying them.