Anyway, all else equal, you can’t guarantee that anyone who shows you the house while working for the seller would not disclose your info like you’re really interested (and more likely to accept a higher price).

BUT, I'm thinking about moving to a different market.Indianapolis has a special real estate tax equal to 2% of appraised value for non owner occupied homes.

#1, 2,and 3 (all equally important because they rely on the other two for their success):  Market Analysis; How Money Works; What is, and how to develop a REI Plan#4:  Understanding what "Risk" is to a REI#5:  Understanding why you Never, ever, want to "spend" your seed money....use it to infinity, but under no circumstances do you ever want to "spend" it.

@Randy Bloch, the only thing I sharply disagree with you on, just based on my belief system is:"...But I don’t think people should be able to direct their own investments as someone needs to protect people from doing stupid stuff."

Add all those up and it equals 127.

All else equal (assume a SFR or 2-3plex, not a crazy cheap or crazy expensive market for operating costs), do you have a schedule of what rule applies to what purchase price band? 

Also, understand that not all loan officers are created equal - BofA might offer you the best rate, but you can have vastly different experiences depending on which BofA rep you're working with. 

I want a refi with the lowest possible rate and am willing to keep monthly mortgage payment equal to or below my current pre-refi loan which is $1420.I have 17 years remaining on current 30yr loan @5.3% interest plus an additional $19k @8% HELOC w/$19K balance.

It easily could equal a months rent.

The return on paying down debt is only equal to the interest rate on the debt (say 5%).