I have been an investor much longer than an agent and I work full time, which gives me a high level of market exposure.

Cities can have exhaustive municipal codes, with little-to-no enforcement.

You mentioned a boiler so if it's not an on-demand or direct vent system it's surely exhausting through the chimney. 

FICOThe above list isn't exhaustive, but does give you an idea of key data points that most HMLs are looking at.Hope this helps!

We learned that doing a live-in renovation can be exhausting, but worth it in the end.

One of our appraisals was so low that I got an $80K upper on appraisal appeal and still believe the appraisal was ~$40K lower than an appraisal that would have been associated with a purchase.I do not know that your market is the same as our market, but I think you need to educate yourself on the value that you can expect from the refinance appraisal. 

For instance a McDonald's gift card to cover three meals a day might be less hassle and less money than an attorney.Plus if you pre-specify the motel and tell her what and where it is with a website link to it, she may feel more comfortable staying there.Just some thoughts on this.Good Luck!

The appraiser doesn't account for closing, holding and profits, so his appraisal will always be higher than an investors offer.

Plus I have been an investor much longer than an agent and frankly just enjoy working on REI deals and helping other investors for the same reason I answer questions on BP...

This job, if nothing goes wrong, should be less than an hour.