As a passive investor, you have no influence over day to day activities and you are investing in a security.

The property i mentioned is still in play though we did get some influence from a realtor over promising and also a relatively high appraisal report which was surprising as the comps don't add up,  this property is a bit unique in that it does have the second unit. 

Without one they may be exposed to risk (which doesn't influence you directly but I thought you should know.)

The Military has fought me frustration, over excitement, anger etc. are all feelings that can negatively influence a decision.

We are thinking of a Live in flip and hold or influenced by this blog https://www.biggerpockets.com/blog/why-im-not-house-hacking , perhaps investing in our hometown in NJ which is somewhere we are more comfortable with and then essentially house hacking through their long distance cash flow in maryland.

Take your list and start researching who in your center of influence knows these people (or knows someone who knows them). 

To my hard money lenders or investors that understand the process better than I do, why do lenders account for the "as-is appraisal" when, in all reality, the ARV is what is going to be influencing the borrower's ability to satisfy the loan?  

So while it does say this:“(b)Appraisal independence For purposes of subsection (a), acts or practices that violate appraisal independence shall include—(1) any appraisal of a property offered as securityfor repayment of the consumer credit transactionthat is conducted in connection with such transaction in which a person with an interest in the underlying transaction compensates, coerces, extorts, colludes, instructs, induces, bribes, or intimidates a person,appraisal management company, firm, or other entity conducting or involved in an appraisal, or attempts, to compensate, coerce, extort, collude, instruct, induce, bribe, or intimidate such a person, for the purpose of causing the appraised value assigned, under the appraisal, to the property to be based on any factor other than the independent judgment of the appraiser;(2)mischaracterizing, or suborning any mischaracterization of, the appraised value of the property securing the extension of the credit;(3)seeking to influence an appraiser or otherwise to encourage a targeted value in order to facilitate the making or pricing of the transaction; and(4)withholding or threatening to withhold timely payment for an appraisal report or for appraisal services rendered when the appraisal report or services are provided for in accordance with the contract between the parties.”It immediately follows up with this:“(c)ExceptionsThe requirements of subsection (b) shall not be construed as prohibiting a mortgage lender, mortgage broker, mortgage banker, real estate broker, appraisal management company, employee of an appraisal management company, consumer, or any other person with an interest in a real estate transaction from asking an appraiser to undertake 1 or more of the following:(1)Consider additional, appropriate property information, including the consideration of additional comparable properties to make or support an appraisal.(2)Provide further detail, substantiation, or explanation for the appraiser’s value conclusion.(3)Correct errors in the appraisal report.”Based on this discovery, I respectfully disagree with your interpretation of Dodd Frank as it pertains to my previous comment regarding appraisal reconsiderations.

While two reps from the same firm will quote you the same rate, their ability to execute the loan can be night and day different.In regards to pros and cons ... think of the lending world as falling into 3 primary buckets: 1) traditional banks and credit unions (ie, Wells, BofA, Chase, etc), 2) mortgage banks (ie, Caliber, Quicken, Fairway, etc), and 3) mortgage brokers.Traditional Banks: (they do loans and hold deposits)Pros: because they tend to do such a large volume of loans, they are able to offer low rates ... they have the ability to do portfolio loansCons: very slow turn times - if you need to close quickly, they're generally unable to perform ... they tend to use national appraisal management companies and appraisal issues are common in competitive markets.Mortgage Banks: (they only do loans - no deposits)Pros: have the ability to close loans much faster - some of the local mortgage banks that we work with on purchases will routinely close loans in less than 14 days ... they often setup their own appraisal management companies and are able to improve the appraisal quality by ensuring the use of local appraisers.Cons: while they should be very competitive with their rates, they're not going to be the absolute lowest ... portfolio loans are generally not an option - they need to sell their loans right away so they can get that money back to lend it out again.Mortgage Brokers:Pros: they will have access to a bunch of different lenders and loan products, so they can submit your info to whichever one is offering the best terms at that moment.Cons: they have no control/influence over the underwriters or the timeframes ... they're generally forced to use national appraisal management companies, so appraisal issues are more commonHope this is helpful and good luck with the refi!

Since the 1980s (really since 1971 going off the gold standard), financial markets (stocks, bonds, and real estate) have been greatly influenced by Central Bank manipulation of interest rates and other extreme monetary policies.