@Tony Salemi - both Liberty Bank and Wintrust are doing 75% LTV on commercial products at this moment.

Including the highly publicized Springdale Green.

FROM MONEY It's About to Get Easier for Over a Million Homeowners to Refinance Their MortgagesTwo new mortgage refinance programs launching this summer should make it a little easier for lower-income borrowers to save on their home loan payments.Starting on June 5, Fannie Mae will offer a product called Refi Now.

Also, there are a ton of antique stores outside of Ithaca, like in Greene, Lisle, Kings Ferry, etc.

I just finished up David Greene's book, Long-Distance Real Estate Investing and it blew my mind!

Herb Green with CAD JAZZ Engineering is the best around.

Local relationships are good, but conventional lenders have the same line of products...the creative lenders will have a very different portfolio of products...the product you need may not be offered by local lenders in your area.Lenders have zero influence on the deal itself outside of what an independent appraiser/inspector relays to them...local knowledge of markets is not in play at all.

StephenHI Stephen,Most conventional lenders will allow 1 30 day late within 12 months but not 60 day late and if you have multiple 30's you generally have to wait 12+ months to re-apply.There are other loan products that are called non QM or non qualified mortgages that might entertain your scenario.

If you're paying the bills, the bank is making money.Now, you likely won't be able to get any type of primary loan product if seeking to buy a larger house meaning you'll need a minimum of 20% down at closing, and your interest rate might be higher, but those shouldn't stop you from moving forward, I wouldn't imagine.

@Adrienne Green Pre-covid I swore I would never rent again in my life..but after looking to buy for over a year in the greater Portland (Maine) region, I'm about ready to throw in the towel.