They boast a large network of buyers and sellers from various locations willing to work together and make deals.Has anyone ever used these expensive tools?  

Each bank is trying to be ultra-conservative by asking their appraisers to use REOs and SS in the comps while lending.

Truth is they want to boast or want to sell you something.

Unless you’re ultra high risk or in the marijuana business or some other reason that would cause you to be un-bankable...

Ultra small towns and outside city limits have fewer restrictions (at least here in Texas), but then you get into private utilities with well and septic to service the property, and demand for housing may not be there.

I suspect they make a good amount of their revenue on flipping dreamers who risk the 3k.but if you think about it from Do hard monies point of view for sure they are going to be ultra conservative I don't blame them and they are only going to fund screaming deals where the borrower has Zero skin in the game other than the  3k and 600 fee and there are most likely other little fee's like title and escrow.. but show me a beginner who can land screaming deals.. sure some will stumble on them. but in my 40 years of lending HM most beginners have no clue as to what a deal is.and therefore this company is killing it making 3600 on turn downs.. pretty sweet if you can get away with it. 

There is everything from ultra luxury full service like the Plaza in New York all the way down to the limited service "bottom of the brand" Knights Inn or the mom and pops that are run by live-in owners.If you purchase a branded or "flagged" property, you will need to comply with the franchise agreement.

What I particularly enjoyed was how Chris tied a charitable and physical element into his investing with running an ultra marathon.

Perhaps if there is a lack of knowledge/ability on deploying additional capital effectively... or maybe a lack of confidence with properly estimating and maintaining enough liquidity to cover the moderate volatility of owning a rental portfolio.But aAt the end of the day though one's equity simply won't grow as fast the more it is dissipated into inefficient investment vehicles, and it could be argued that, ironically, leads to greater inability to cover risk and adverse circumstances than the ultra-conservative REI's tenets end up doing.

FYI a bank would take you but just know that banks are ultra conservative and move very slow.