@Wayne Kennoff- thanks   1) getting a personal referral is a good place to start 2) if you have narrowed down the options to a few -  contact both on the same  days and ask them for whatever  quotes  for your scenario ...ask for a loan cost worksheet  if  possible .  ...if their pricing ends up being  the same - make a decsion based on the  feel  for  cutoner  service you get when communicating with them.   3)  make sure they  disclose all the fees  related to the  refinance  ( not just their  own fees ) ..4)  reviews are   hard to  use to make a decision ( as you found out ) 5) rates are pretty high right now for rental  properties ....if you can wait to  refinance - you might consider doing so ...if you need to refinance - so be it ...Good luck 

I like your strategy of putting your assignment fees into rentals.

It's the same work to do a $55K loan as a $500K loan so the fees will be higher due to the loan amount but will still be much lower than what a lender or broker gets paid on a higher loan amount.

Either terminate the PM (and potentially pay a termination fee.) or use them to list and sell the property.

Neighborhood quality can vary street to street in some areas and there can also be stark differences in tax rates and city ordinances in some suburbs.   

For one building, I was issued a billing statement for rental license fees back to 2012 with penalties and interest.

How do I reimburse them for supplies and labor in a way that is still tax deferred?

I change the wording in my lease it seems like every week to line up with a particular process or maybe increase a fee etc. 

If I want to use the STR tax loophole, would living in a different state affect the advantage of the so called STR tax loophole, as long as I remain active in managing the property and fulfill the other requirements?

It depends on if you're an llc or not, it depends on what state you live in, it depends on if you're a single member llc or a multi member llc- ultimately the numbers flow on to your tax return- your 10:40.