Wondering if this is about right in terms of cost or whether there are other more affordable companies out there.  

Now that they are growing again, affordable supply (in terms of single family homes) can no longer be added due to labor and material costs.

Even if it is a short term loan   Tarik I dont think she said she was refinancing i think she said she is looking to finance so probably an purchase money loan

Should I have agreed LOI terms with all 3 properties and sort of "lie" that we intend to use them for our contract even though we are only choosing one of three?

It really makes sense to me to hold onto the duplex or condos if you decided to split them for the long term and keep your focus on scaling with your HELOC and $15k saved, but again I am not sure what returns you are seeing if you do a 1031.

we can buy pre made contracts at the stationary stores .. they have been there for decades.

Avoiding a trademarked name or term

My name's Hunter, and I'm excited to get started being a property manager/co-host/host for short-term rentals in the Orlando area to start.

"Ready" is a subjective term, but you can hang out on these forums, meeting agents, lenders, other investors, and anybody else you care to talk with for 1,000 hours.

Most REI's I've met are very generous people in terms of sharing their knowledge and contacts.In terms of the local market, there are websites that help you find good areas to invest in and you can get a simple analysis from Redfin like this: https://www.redfin.com/city/16661/MO/St-Louis/housing-marketBut, I think a lot of cities like mine probably have a ton of nuance in terms of everything that goes into understanding the local market street by street.