I have done 4 rehabs in total and would like to do many more but my hands are tied by the banks.I own a construction company that is licensed and did this specifically for these rehabs (but we also have customers as well)Hard money is too expensive.

They used a custom sized indoor storm window that was a friction fit affair.

Yeah i think what you need to figure out is your cashflow once you rent out the other space for 1200.I know that the condo is price is whats luring you in so much but theres some big points you got to look at like how much is it expected to increase (i find condos don't appreciate as much and "condos" have less customers then conventional homes)Of course i dont know you area and it may be a good chance but if i were from the outside giving you advice, id say try to find a better deal on a SFH or duplex or so.....BUT also another important point to mention would be with the condo, if the condos price is actually a lot more ie 120/130k maybe get it, rent it out for a year (could take care of you living for even less lol) AND will make you some money if you sell it in a year and then take that money as well as money you try and save and then you could get another property thats better for you in the long run.

This doesn't seem to be a popular opinion on this thread, but it seems like the selling agent messed up in this transaction as much as the seller.This community is unusually savvy regarding real estate laws and customs, so I'd approach this from what any of us should expect from a typical seller of a home.

I would love to try to get the cheaper one at a lower price and do a full renovation which would allow me to custom the unit as I want but I'm resistant because I've heard horror stories from people who did renovation loans where it took a ridiculously long time or the quality of the final work was poor. 

You can set custom date rules and just keep changing it so that it wont allow for 1 night gaps. 

Because they are making 10x that on all the other customers

Strikes me a long but I don’t have anything relevant to compare it to. 

I hear local lenders are more customer service-oriented and all around better, however, is it worth paying more and consequently spending way more over the course of the loan or should I go with the cheapest rate?

But feel it is going to negatively impact landlords by further scrutiny(and new regulations) from the government which will harm tenants on down the road.I'm not sure how it "harms tenants" any more than any other business harms customers by raising prices.Around 70% of rental property is managed by a professional property manager in Australia whereas it's more like 20% in America.