Hi Cameron, I've worked with plenty of Brokers and Banks for my buy and holds.

5) Can I claim the bank loan interest in my taxes?

My experience with the big banks is you will run into low-level bureaucrat types that are annoyed with you calling.     

I need to refinance out at 75% LTV, and find a bank who would lend @ 5-5.5% interest.

Typically, I BRRRR with ARV loans through a local bank for our investment properties, so I'm not up to speed on traditional mortgage rates.

@Kervin SimonSmall local banks and credit unions are always best for this

When this process started I offered the bank 80k and they countered asking for fair market value of 95k and stating that they need a net proceeds of 79,847.

It's been a huge source of education and inspiration for me and my husband on our REI  journey.As to next steps, I would recommend finding a real estate agent that you trust, and also start talking to lenders (banks, mortgage brokers, credit unions, etc.)

You're best option to get all these questions answered is to find a local/regional bank (local to where you want to build) and see what their appetite and offered terms these days for construction loans. 

Would a bank loan on the entire portfolio or would I have to get a separate mortgage for each property?