We refinanced and cashed out all our renovation budget plus $5,000 and actually kept monthly payment the same as rates had dropped.

I'm feeling most drawn to a buy and hold rental investing strategy and like the idea of the BRRRR strategy in tandem with VA loans, basically refinancing VA loan backed mortgages to conventional loans once there is 20% equity in the home.

That will give incentive to refinance ASAP whereas these 0% loans the borrower has zero interst in refinancing out early.

I refinanced it into a  5% 30-year mortgage with a local bank as the seller would only carry the loan for a year.

I don’t expect every year to be like this.For the mortgages, I did some accelerated pay downs and refinanced when rates were more favorable.

Instead of refinancing our portfolio, decided to sell our holdings that were out of state to capitalize on the stellar appreciation.

If you decide you need to hold the property it makes refinancing either impossible or expensive. 

@Jennifer Fernéz I run sum numbers for you with our tool, see comments and pics below before refinancing and post refinancing .Financial Breakdown: Purchase Price: $200,000 Mortgage (LTV 80%): $160,000 Interest Rate: 6% (30-Year Amortization) Mortgage Monthly Payment: $959Upfront Costs: Down Payment (20%): $40,000 Closing Costs (3.5%): $7,000 Renovation Costs: $15,000 1 Month of Carrying Costs During Renovation: $1,548Total Upfront Required: $63,548Year One Rent: Monthly Rent Income: $2,000 1 Month Rent Losses during renovations (-$2,000): -$167/month distributed over 12 months Total Rent Income: $22,000 per year => $ 1,833 per monthMonthly Expenses: Mortgage Payment: $959 Property Tax (Assuming $3,000/year): $250 per month Property Insurance (Assumption): $100 per month Utilities (Hydro, Gas, Water): $275 per month Assuming 5% Vacancy: $92 Assuming 0 % Repairs & Maintenance first year because unit has been recently renovated Total Monthly Expenses: $1,676Monthly Net Cash Flow: $157Post-Renovation Refinancing Strategy after 12 months:So far, we’ve purchased the property, completed renovations, and rented it out.Next, you can approach the bank for a refinance to consolidate a portion of your initial investment into a mortgage.

And because I'm looking for a long term finance situation, I'm not looking for a loan that is going to have a really high interest rate, with hopes of refinancing later.

@Jerry Chilimidos,Ned is correct, if you end up refinancing your rentals in the IRA - your IRA will be subject to UBIT tax on leveraged portion of the income so be sure to run the numbers with you CPA to understand the tax implications.