2) What can I do in the meantime to increase my chances of the bank saying "yes" when the time comes (if different to a US resident)? 

The agent demand you show them your bank statement.

Thinking of getting a mortgage of around 100k with very little down (I took a class that will allow the bank to give me a loan with only 3% down payment) then investing most of my 15k into reno. 

The bank won't let us move it into an LLC without a full refinance.  

Hi everyoneI need a reference for a business bank account for my LLC.As a non-U.S. citizen (South African/Netherlands), I am the sole member of a GA LLC, which owns a property in Atlanta.I am looking to open a bank account for the LLC (for rentals and expenses), and I was wondering whether anyone could give me a recommendation in this regard? 

It is expensive for banks to foreclose and potentially have to sell the house - they would almost certainly lose money.   

I used State Farm Bank and it was a long process as well. 

Go to a bank, apply for a FHA mortgage, and then find a great realtor to show you around and look at some multi family homes. $200,000 multi family is easy to get into with $10k cash.

You may remember the lawsuit against the big banks years ago? 

So I’m about to get anywhere from 125K-145K HELOC (small bank).