Even though at a glance the “savings” would only be 5% on the down payment, that translates to a lot of $$ in an expensive market.

While some of these companies may initially make attractive offers, my past experience has shown that they can sometimes alter their terms at the last minute with unreasonably low bids.

What this translates to is difficult for me to say but seeing our current conditions with interest rates as high as they are, I'm inclined to work efficiently with our brrrr strategy... meaning quality over quantity and waiting for the right deals.

This translates to them not wanting to spend to much if any time on your project bc they are not getting paid enough and with all the business available in Indy these days they might take a job but once they realize they can get paid more for another project they leave your project that is being managed by that company who's taking a piece of the action on both sides, from the investor and the contractors. 

A "luxury" bathroom might translate to higher STR rental amounts - but that has never been a high criteria for me when seeking lodging.

Costs for taking loans are minimal as opposed to the substantial closing costs that can accumulate from obtaining mortgages and home equity lines of credit or other bank financed loans.The proper mutual life insurance company will allow full payment of dividends on the cash value sum regardless of loans taken, and this is a massive advantage over loans guaranteed by other financial products such as 401(k) accounts and IRAs.Furthermore, because this is your policy and you manage it, there is no worry about having loans called or otherwise altered, like they can with bank financing.The simplicity of borrowing and paying back your policy will at a minimum improve the real estate investor’s capability to swiftly capitalize on opportunities, adding the quickness of money to the equation, and opening up new level of freedom and achievement.A common objection is that using cash value life insurance in this way isn’t an effective approach for real property investors because the policy costs money upfront (premium payment) and is therefore too costly.However, this belief is especially absurd in the context of talking about real estate.

This translates into a high barrier of entry: prices are high, and immediate cashflow is very hard to find.However, because of fast-growing rents and low cap rates, properties in LA appreciate at a greater clip than in your typical Midwest market.

Ideally there will be 0 change orders, but I have yet to see a customer who makes it through an entire remodel without altering the original SoW.

I agree, @Tom Gimer.Back in the days when I’d speak at western R.E. conferences and clubs, it was fun to help California based investors walk through an estate issue.However, it did not “translate” well at the national level.

There are also so many factors that can alter the price per room.