On the other hand, my Step-mom had her bathroom renovated to remove the tub in favor of a shower (because getting in and out had become problematic).Nice long soaks in a bath could be deemed a must for many folk. 

That'll help you be sure you're striving for the right things, plus it'll plant the seeds for those relationships to grow so that when you do have deals, they're already in place!

I am new to real estate and looking to soak up as much information as possible before jumping into a property purchase. 

I'm new to biggerpockets, and soaking up all the great information here like a sponge!

Seeding period for 6 months should be enough to refi.

I self-raised my first bought of seed capital!

For me personally, what has helped me learn the most is taking every opportunity you can to soak up as much as possible.

I have funding though seed capital.

So $3-5k at most to close a normal loan, closer to $3k actually, or you are getting soaked for fees by one or more parties.

There is a lot of info to soak up on this sight.