Id keep looking if it was not an approved short sale ( even an approved short sale takes a very very long time and theres no guarantee that you will even close on the house after months of waiting). q1)There are plenty of non traditional lenders that could offer you construction financing if the numbers make sense but it will cost you with points and a higher rate.

No, it wasn't a home run deal, I didn't get it sub to (interest rate was 7.625% PLUS MI).

If you do have to move because of a job, you would be safest (in my opinion, i am not giving legal advice or financial advice), i would sell that property to ensure that you did not just purchase with the goal of moving out early and taking advantage of lower rates and lower down payments for purchasing your home as a primary residence. 

This habit alone changed the game for me—I no longer have a mountain of data entry in March. 

Live in one unit - It's a great strategy when using a bank for financing as the down payment and interest rates are more favorable to owner occupants.  

You can often get better rates with a national lender, but the customer service is non-existent, communication probably sucks, they may ask for the same documents multiple times, etc.

Interest rates atm seem quite high so will ride this out a bit longer (and ratios will continue to improve over time.) 

Trump has said he plans to keep owner occupied rates at 6% through 2026.

Quote from @Allison Park: Good agents won't want to work with you.Nothing has changed with commissions.

New inventory and relisting rates have actually declined month over month which is allowing to pricing to remain elevated.