Wheatland Bank was good to me but the lender I worked with has since retired.

And then I would use trust deed and promissory note to get a loan with lower interest rate this is how all lenders work banks HML private money lenders if they are scaling.. 

I've also heard it can be a good thing to have some debt against a property because if any issues arise legally, the bank will be the first line of defense. 

I'm attaching the information.

He would also not need any private money lenders to close these transactions -- his bank would be dying to give him a commercial line of credit. 

Exterior attachments like decks and stairs are always HOA issues so I can't fathom how the driveway is not.

While the second LLC does not yet have an EIN, can we temporarily operate using only the bank account of the first LLC (which also holds the property)?

I suspect you spoke to bank employees who weren’t in their commercial lending division and didn’t understand your borrowing request. 

Someone trying to earn 4-5% return they could get from a bank cd?

I don't have experience with the Detroit Land Bank, but generally land banks are pretty reliable, but...they are low money buys (from $1 to $1,000) that require you to show proof of funds for the rehab.