It would be best to perform the renovation of the unit and have a long term solution in place. 

My thought is yes because that was time spent renovating the property to prepare it to be rented. 2) Do hours logged include time spent driving to the property to perform renovations and re-stock supplies?

You can forget any large bank like Wells boA or large regional s I highly doubt with your scenario they will provide any credit to you.then you have the Brokers who are responding.. they set you up with a direct HML that does vertical Rates 10 to 15%  and points 3 to 6.. of which the brokers take 2 to 4 points for setting these up for you. 

I highly recommend checking and verifying IDs.

Tough to do that in the stock market and pretty rare to do as a performer/athlete, like 1% of the 1%, and for C-Suite again have to not only probably be good, but lucky to be in the right place, at the right time, at the right company, with the right opportunity. 

People said prices were out of control and way too high in 2014-2016 (you can find many threads on BP about it). 

While the process may seem transactional, it's important to note that lenders are motivated to close loans efficiently, as they are compensated based on successful outcomes.To gain insights into lenders' performance, consider checking reviews or seeking recommendations from credible sources like the BiggerPockets preferred lender page.Accountability in lending is indeed a two-way street.

I agree with the sentiment of "you must be highly organized." 

I live in Northern NJ and as I mentioned the barrier of entry for me in NJ is too high.

Agreed, it will impact the convenience and may strain with high-income tenants..