Have you encountered that?

I'd use 75% for analysis purposes but you may encounter HMLs saying 70% or less due to your being a new investor (and thus there being a little more risk for the lender).Smart hard money lenders will assume that the value at time of purchase is exactly your purchase price, unless you can show them clear evidence that you are in fact buying the property for less than its true current as-is market value.Typically that will not be an MLS deal since almost by definition a property bought from the MLS is bought at market price since the property has been placed on the open market, with an agent motivated to price it at market value, visible to all and subject to competitive bidding, etc.But if it's an off market deal and you can convince the HML that you are in fact buying it for less than its true market value at the day of closing - which would require your providing comps and possibly having them walk through to confirm that there is not more work needed than in your project plan (yes, you'll have to come up with one of those too - that's how the construction phases get set) - then yes, you could find a HML who would let you put less into the deal initially then an institutional lender would, since institutional lenders always assume the market value is the purchase price.If you think about it from the lender's point of view, where they always want to keep their loan at or below a certain LTV (e.g., 75%), then it helps you figure out your own #s, how you'll have to present it to them, etc.It does help if you have a specific property in mind though, as HMLs these days are used to getting a lot of solicitations from new investors and the last thing they want to do is spend a lot of time on the phone with someone, or meet someone for coffee, who is a brand new investor and will never actually end up doing a deal (i.e., creating a lending opportunity for them).

They may get sticker shock when they call.I've got Labor day weekend priced way above my competition becasue I know as other places fill up I will get my higher price, even if its a desperate last minute person trying to find something "for this weekend".

I have a somewhat specific tax related question I'd like to see if anyone has encountered before.

This is what I am encountering, in the current Mortgage Industry.

For the most part, the advice from the financial planners I've encountered, when it comes to real estate  is a version of "too risky" and "you need to diversify".

Credit unions are the most flexible lenders I've encountered with HELOCs. 

This is a question that’s been asked numerous times on this platform.The last time I encountered a similar thread, I copied the list of books recommended and I wish I had also copied the names of the responders.

It seems pretty steep to me but I've never encountered this issue. 

When sincere tenants, operating in good faith, encounter a mold issue, they contact the landlord immediately.