BP has a lot of useful resources to help you, I have found the most useful thing for me to do was to actually attend a physical meetup or two as it lets you brush shoulders with others in the same shoes (or have been in the same shoes in the past). 

Title company found out because it was on the chain of title.I don't know if this is common practice since this is not the subject property to be on a loan.

No real need to pay a broker fee if you are already ahead of the curve and have found/posted on BP!

What suburbs or areas have you found are good for that?

From what I’ve found online, there appears to be a 6-month seasoning period before refinancing, but this may not apply to non-cashout refinances.

LTR or MTR so regardless of rent style you can go for the long, mid or short.Dayton, OH and Indianapolis, IN are two great cities that my California customers have found great 2-4 units over the last 2-3 years. 

If you're earning, they might show they care a little, but they're more focused on the next batch of agents to recruit.Mom & pop experience: the broker barely answered my calls but when she did, I had already found the answer myself OR she was able to share something I couldn't find on my own - experience.This helped me become very resourceful as it forced me to figure things out in case she couldn't get back to me in a timely manner.Big box experience: I went to KW and found the best 'community' feel/vibe you could ask for in the business.

What have you found to work best or be the most through? 

I converted a few apartments to that purpose, and listed them with a company specializing in that field, however they have not found a tenant yet, and I've listed with them for 2+ months.Would you be able to share which company you are using?

Not specific to Blue Ridge, but in CO I just used Steadily as they were able to cover the brush fire restrictions I found that stopped Proper and others.