First, the marketing should be on at least 20 different websites.

Closing fees won't be any different if they are 4 seperate fee simple properties.

The first rehab he led turned out nice, but at times was rough because we have a different relationship than most employee/employer.  

Yes it was , I have had this loan for 7 years now, they are growing the company from one into a RIET of 4 different businesses and the goal is going public once the company is in the right position.

My gut says you probably want/need separate policies for the different entities at the very least - the purpose of having them is to keep things separate in case of a lawsuit, so combining insurance would pierce the veil and allow someone to come after everything. 

Admittedly, pricing will often account for any major items, and I don't believe this is true in Sandy Springs, but there are some areas that an interstate cuts off a small part of the neighborhood, and so labeling the neighborhood as "good" may be true for 90% of that neighborhood, but if you are in the 10% that is on the "wrong side" of the interstate, it can be a totally different market.

"Real Estate" is a lot of things to a lot of different people.  

Maybe your situation is different and if you don’t feel comfortable in the neighborhood then this may be a moot point anyway.As for FHA, my understanding is that you must intend to live in the house for a year  it sounds like you did intend to, but due to unexpected circumstances- lead exposure and unexpected unsafe neighborhood- you have to move.

Don't worry about what others are doing theyre on a different path than you because no ones story is the same. so try to ignore the noise and take those steps:) 

If it costs you $20k to do a refi right now is that worth it on the payment difference?