In my state it's city and not county that handles that..

One of the articles I read says the law allows you to view their camera feed.

Do you have a resource you can recommend whether it's a YouTube vid, book, or article?

Or Cash-out refi, but have that money just sit in my bank account until I return to the states?

If so, which state(s) because I'm sure each differs.

This loan type has a prepayment penalty unless you buy it down or the property is in a state that has certain rules (sometimes lenders prohibit them in certain states and you're forced to buy it out, which will increase your interest rate).

And if nothing is in the lease stating that smoking is prohibited, smoke smell falls more under the umbrella of “ normal wear and use”.

It is the insurer of last resort run by the state.

As everyone has stated, HML are normally for business purposes.

In exchange for being in a landlord friendly state like Texas, where it's easier to evict...it's harder to collect on unsecured debt.