I initially tried to get a home equity loan on rental, but due to my DTI ratio I ended up with an offer for a DSCR loan at 9% for about $150k equity and over $17k in closing costs, which I turned down.

They allocated $15k selling price to the 5-yr property initially valued at $150k. 

I use my personal email (first initial last name @ gmail) for almost everything business related.

A nice looking finished basement will go south real quick with moisture and your tenant will soon be displeased (rightfully so) about the nice basement they initially thought they had.See what the market is doing, but also consider what your specific property factors are. 

BRRR - Start with a hard money loan for the initial purchase and rehab, then refinance into a 30Y loan once completed.

My initial protege also had one (garage conversion) a few years ago that was not hands off that received a pathetic appraisal.  

Often, the key to transitioning successfully is starting small, perhaps with a mixed-use property or something that doesn't require a steep initial learning curve. 

We asked if there was a guarantee for some kind of refund and we even acknowledged that the design work was initially setup and given to us, but not fully approved and went nowhere after that, but offered payment for that.

We initially were able to yield $408 per month ~ post purchase.

This means I will take a significant loss to ensure investors do not lose their initial investment.