Banks lending with 0 down and other stupid practices also added to this.

I budgeted for extra strips, just in case mistakes are made or we discover some imperfect strips during the installation process.

Definitely check out the Marketplace ads on this site as there are many posts from lenders circulating that forum with highlights about the different loan programs they offer!

We talked with an realtor last year and she said if we added a 2nd bathroom, our house would sell for 190-200k, and 6 years ago our house was appraised for $164k.

@Melonie Dickson I just closed on a property that I *almost* did a no contingency offer, but at the last minute, I trusted my gut and added a 5 day due diligence.

I could also pay more monthly cash out of pocket as my finances allow it but I'd prefer create cash-flow and put that extra cash into other savings or investments.Any other pros and cons of shorter vs. longer term HELOANs?

Ask how it's being advertised and look online to see if you can find the ads.

Your sister could be added on as a non-equity employee and issued a W-2 salary for services provided. 

Last flip I did they were adding saws and all kinds of random crap to their purchases and never ended up giving me all the receipts.

Think of this as a classified ad.