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.

Either way I hope those sentiments do not influence your actions and treatment of your tennants...…….. 

If you did, that’s more like how it was pre-great recession and we all saw how that turned out.Appraisers are unbiased third parties, so that you, the bank, the agent etc shouldn’t influence them.It sounds like you paid 232k, expecting appraisal after work at 260k and that’s what you got.Certain things, like hanging drywall, don’t really affect the value of a house.

I'm sure they have a small influence in some cities, but not Asheville.

However, as you know, a passive investor in a real estate syndication one must always maintain influence over the decision making and management process through the power of veto should things not go as originally planned.  

So if it has only been a year you probably don't have much tax due as @Bill Brandt said.There's another complication that could influence your decision. 

It's also one of the few investments you can directly influence the value & profitability of through your actions, which in my mind makes it a lot more like a business.  

That entity may have no controlling influence by you or lineal family that are considered disqualified persons to the IRA.There are considerations that may impact whether such an investment will be beneficial to an IRA.