And, even then, hitting your rate target would still be extremely challenging unless you were paying points up front, in which case it would probably make more sense to just try to put in a bigger down payment (or pay down the balance if refi) instead and get better terms naturally offered at the lower LTV.

Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.Make sure you understand the Class of properties you are looking at and the corresponding results to expect.The City of Detroit has 183 Neighborhoods we’ve analyzed.

I think one of them offers a public API.Once you get your license, you can join the CAR Chicago Association of Realtors and I have found them to be extremely helpful with questions like this. 

In our trade, I would not expect any owner or GC to get this correct since our industry is extremely specialized.

Or would the investors above been aware of the extremely high risk associated with these extreme high returns?    

I would do this first before engaging an agent unless you are extremely active.

For me it's CA since I live here but the prices are extremely high for a new investor.

Rental property is extremely tax advantaged based on the current tax code.

Any competitive DSCR program is going to be in the 90-day seasoning range for allowing a refinance based on the newly appraised value.Your 9-month seasoning should not be an issue, barring an extremely unique situation (like inheriting a property or having it gifted to you).------------------------------------• 0-6 Months (Delayed Purchase, no Rehab completed) - up to 80% of purchase price• 6+ Months (Cash-Out Refinance, no Rehab completed) - up to 75% of appraised value• 0-3 Months (Cash-out refi, Rehab completed) - 75% of appraised value [good rates]• 3-6 Months (Cash-out refi, Rehab completed) - 75% of appraised value [best rates]

Due to the extreme volatility of crypto and potentially high transaction costs, you need to be careful with harvesting crypto losses.Pick tax-efficient investments.