One challenge was getting the hotel occupancy up after renovation since no one had booked or stayed in years so there was no existing guest base.

I don't remember the exact cost when I did it but I remember thinking it was cheaper than expected.I didn't see a comment mentioning that you should just include utilities in the rent and increase it based off that so I'll be that guy.

In my experience, these are also referred to as "QM" and "Non-QM" loans ("QM" = Qualifying Mortgage)And as consumer mortgages, these loans are generally issued under the person's name with the underwriting based primarily on the borrower's DTI (Debt to Income) ratio.

South and South East is less expensive, but you're not going to get the appreciation and my impression is it's not as good a tenant base.

Each CPA will answer the questions uniquely based on their interpretation of the tax law as well as your specific scenario, so I highly recommend having a trusted CPA answer this for you.

If a single-family owner-occupied property is worth $400,000 - I wouldn't invest more than $280,000 (70%) in a note secured by the property.ITV takes priority over desired yield - so even if the note discounts to $350,000 based on desired yield, the investor still won't go beyond their maximum ITV. 

You should consult a tax professional for an answer based on your unique situation, this is not tax advise just general information.

Based on what you described above, it sounds like he used all the tricks he learned presenting on behalf of Dave Lindhal, just now in his own mentorship program (I.e. sponsor deals for students, crazy acquisition fees, big pressure sales pitch all throughout, etc).

. $360k equity (based on your estimated loan balance and estimated transaction costs if you sold, this is not calculating capital gains taxes but that would reduce your equity down to about $310k if you sold without doing a 1031 exchange). $8k cash flow (this will increase over time because you are in an appreciation market). $6k principal pay down (based on your current loan). $20k appreciation (based on 3% which is conservative, 4-5% is the historical average).

Private Money Lenders (PML): More flexible, relationship-based funding with lower fees.