One observation in working with higher loan amount borrowers and lenders recently is that rates can often be LOWER than conventional loan amounts. 

It's no longer conspiracy theory to state such, it's observation.

I own a multi-family property near Downtown Monroe, Mi and have been observing a significant increase in activity in the area.

It's possible that the company that owns a bunch of the units retained the right to control the the HOA until they are done selling.Simplest answer is to ask the seller who controls the HOA and if not the individual owners, when will it be turned over to them? 

2 observations after reading this thread:1- lack of transparency on individual sponsors is a major issue.

For instance, I was once thinking about buying a property that had a minor issue with a relatively easy solution, but then we learned from the City that implementing that solution would create a new problem that would have cost us $50k+ to address in order to retain a certificate of occupancy (I didn't know what I didn't know, but I'm glad I found out before I bought the property!). 

@Simone Montague-Jackson agree with @Charles Carillo and @Jordan Moorhead, that they aren't what the marketing hype claims.Insurance companies are in business to make money, which requires them to have a hard stance on claims and incentivizes them to deny as many claims as possible.In our opinion and 24 years of observations, it worse with warranty insurance products!

A few important things I would be looking for:1) the experience and credentials of the broker who supervises the company as well as the lead property manager2) the services they offer and how they line up with your needs and expectations3) the use of technology to make their job and yours easier 4) if they have a landlord-tenant attorney on retainer to help guide them on legal issues (not to mention the creation of lease agreement, landlord forms and notices, etc.)5) their process and policy for a) listing, b) application, c) tenant selection, d) routine inspections, e) maintenance services, f) property and tenancy update reports to you, g) lease enforcement policy, and f) move-out process.6) property owner reviews (you can't always rely on Google reviews, because they may not reflect actual quality of the company, but still) 7) beneficial programs for both owner and tenant 8) a property management agreement that would indicate they know what they're doing and have the experience to know what matters in a PMA.

Rent-to-Price Ratio:Your observation about the rent-to-price ratio is valid.

@Chris Seveney  I saw your answer to this question and was wondering how you manage the LLC, do your retain your LLC mortgage, and have the tenants pay as they always did to the LLC or did you have all payments to the trust and new accounts with the trust on them.