They are not right nor are they wrong, they just provide a benchmark value but the risk will be yours.

What this means for you is that you'll likely have to work closely with an agent daily for a few months and be ok with having many good offers you make slide through before you get something that's over the asking price a bit.As Spencer Abeyta said, the 1% rule is just a benchmark and an old benchmark that is, in my opinion, quite outdated.

I am already having some trouble getting past the DTI benchmark on the 3-4 units I've considered--will the HELOC make it even more impossible to clear that hurdle?

The 70% rule is just a bench mark not a hard and fast rule.  

Generally speaking, I believe 30 days is a good benchmark. 

You want to see something that has low or no seasoning for a cash out refi or that may require low amount of documents.What is your draw fee & benchmarks for the repairs portion of the borrowed money?

I am looking for an integrated firm, which is not just filing paperwork but also guiding me based on benchmarks and best practices before(thesis formation etc), during(filing, guidance on timelines, capital call cadence etc) and after(investor portal recs, communication best practices etc).Are there any such providers out there?

It’s tough to understand if something is a good deal or not if you don’t have any bench marks set up.You should work with an investor focused agent to set up some benchmarks.

@Clay Cook, as Justin noted, there is no right or wrong answer, since variable is just that and no one has a crystal ball.You clearly know your spread and current benchmark rate, so you have an idea of where the rate will be for the next few months.  

But would you guys use comparable SFH as a benchmark?