Rehab - get an estimate of the timeline from your contractor, then add at least 2 weeks depending on the scale (because they rarely finish on time). 

This, combined with a good mailpiece and your logo, will build rapport, trust and brand recognition.Good luck!

You live in Fremont and you're buying in Rochester so it's a long distance investment property purchase=riskyRoll those together and you have a good rate and point combination at 4.75% and 2 points. 

We do have reserves and are ready to weather down months, but were obviously hoping to hit the ground running I'm not exactly sure why it works out this way, but rarely have I had a new property just take off.

Long amortization periods on fixed loan products combined with compound interest on investments is probably your best bet at maintaining an inflation resistant nest egg.

That can’t be the school taxes, county, city combined.

People rarely make wise financial decisions with there personal residence because it is serving a different purpose than an investment. 

Also, has anyone found a lender who will combine some of the underwriting fees when refinancing 4 properties all at once?

In my opinion, it's a combination of naivety, greed, and foolishness (tripping over dollars to pick up pennies).

@Slava Golubov sounds like a combination of both.