If it passes code then I would assume the local building officials there have researched enough up on hurricanes/pests to approve it with confidence.

I was quoted on a rehab for around $131/sqft the official quote came in closer to your number $116/sqft. 

Rob - sounds like a great story, I dream about the day that I can officially quit my day job.

Driving to the rehab site every day, being sticky hot, listening to contractor bs lies, dealing with blood sucking government officials, historical societies, standing in line at HD, owner liability ... need I say more.This is a great thread by the way, BP tends to focus on the greedy lender, but there are two sides to that story.Another thing I've noticed: Everybody should be concerned about costs, if you aren't your not a good business person, plain and simple.

Realizing that there is generally a big difference in interest rates between a rate and term refinance and a cash out refinance my question is this:If I personally make a loan to my LLC to purchase said property, w/ a loan contract, a recorded deed of trust, interest payments, all of that official stuff, will a lender allow me to do a rate and term refinance of that loan once the property is stabilized?

You can go on your county Clerk of Court site, Official Records search, and find any mortgages in the owner's name, in about 5 minutes.

There were several occasions when I would just let the property go to another "bidder", and the auction would officially close.

I’m A Senior Trump Official, And I Hope A Long Shutdown Smokes Out The Resistance"As one of the senior officials working without a paycheck, a few words of advice for the president’s next move at shuttered government agencies: lock the doors, sell the furniture, and cut them down.Federal employees are starting to feel the strain of the shutdown.

This will not only save you time when you get into contract on a property because you've done most of the work that's typically done after you've made an official loan application, but you can position yourself as just as competitive as a cash buyer because you can waive your mortgage contingency, due to the fact that all of the conditions of your loan have already been cleared.

I see it less as a "service" for hosts, and more as a lobbying effort to save their own business (and ours of course, in the long run).