If its going to make or break him, might be better for mental health to sell.Austin is a great market and Id be willing to bet the vacancy could be plugged quickly. 

But that type of mentality: not admitting when you’re wrong, sidestepping when you’re at fault and in return putting someone else down sounds like 1) our president and therefore, 2) not someone I automatically want to give my money to. 

Although there are tons of student rentals, there arealso  tons of post-grad students, resident physicians and other faculty and staff (not to mention the non-UI demand) that make great renters for multiple years. 

You need an Eat what you Kill mentality if you take this path.  

Having a 24 month term on the front end will also make my job easier doing the take-out loan when it's time to refinance into permanent debt, because there's room in there for a full year of tax returns to have been done in the middle (if your exit plan is to sell, it'll also make it easier on your buyer who will presumably be willing to pay a higher price if they can get an A-paper good mortgage).Ask for a 24 month term, tell your contractor you want it done in a year (and make it financially worth their while if they can pull it off), internally/mentally plan on 18 months, and I'm putting you on notice now to do your tax returns on time, rather than extending them (don't fight me on this, please just do it).Trying to get a renovation mortgage like this for only 1 point is likely a waste of your time, but if you want to ask, after you've secured the above as a 'done deal,' go for it, can't hurt. 

Sure you have some people who have limited ability to move up the economic ladder because they have intellectual or mental health issues but I just don't get long term section 8 for as many people as there are on it.

It is up to your salemanship but if she has just mentally walked there is not much you can do.

Maybe it's a bit more LA mentality, but I don't see someone from Garner to east and up to Wake Forest stomaching a 45 minute one way daily commute to where the higher income in-office jobs are located, which I'm leaning into for greater likelihood to afford rent now and increases later.

If I were in your shoes, I would change my mentality to how can I convince an appraiser to give me more value to what is the worst case scenario, if the value comes in lower. 

I have a different mentality about pets and consider them family not extras.