My husband is active duty navy so we are buy and hold investors.

A french drain is easy (other than a lot of digging), but it needs to drain somewhere. 

I wanted an open feeling where you had easy access to your back yard area through french doors. 

I spent 18 months in the Phillippines and saw some retired Marines and Navy guys in flip flops there.

I was born have lived in the Bay Area all my life except for stint in the Navy. 

Then I became a renovation handyman putting in my time on my own properties.If I were you, I'd think very hard about the military, especially the Navy Construction Battalions, the Seabees.

He's dealt with a lot of bad stuff in life, and has many issues stemming from his service in the Navy in the Vietnam war.

I think it misses one of the most important elements though, the human factor.A burly ex Navy Seal will have a much different attitude about venturing into the hood than someone who is generally afraid of their own shadow.

I have written a lot of articles on how to self-manage from a distance on reluctantlandlord and even posted one of my numbers.Honestly investing in the navy has been a VERY good financial move for us!

I'm hoping for a favorable appraisal so I refinance to a conventional loan with 20% equity though a higher appriasal value.I have performed several updates including installing a new roof, new aluminum gutters, updating one of the units (kitchen & 1.5baths), french drain system, new paint throughout, etc, etcDo you have any recommendations for a Noob to the refinance process?