HI I am looking for a lender that will refi upto 70%LTV for a property that has be seasoned for less than 1 year.  

but my older brother has been an investor for about 10 years and has about 15 rental properties in Europe where he resides.

I am quite sure now that I am a little older and wiser I could pull it off.

I think the best way to learn is to pair up with a seasoned investor for your first few deals to help you gain some experience.

This seller is an older gentleman who is retiring/changing up his investments.

For rental condition, make sure everything is clean and functional (and safe) and has amenities similar to those in your area and price range.... no need to make it look like HGTV after shots...Some of these items you list sound cosmetic and it may fair well in your rental market as is or with just some minor fixes (again, I would look at similar units for rent (not sale) in the area to get an idea if formica and older carpet is the norm in your area and price range...)And I would simply look at temporarily blocking off or restricting the fireplace use, clean the carpet, tack on the molding.

But since she just sent $70,000 to the current mortgage, she lacks the down (seasoned) money for a new mortgage for a home we stumbled across.I know gifting 70,000 to her is OK for a new mortgage (from husband and over 20% down), but can I pull that $70,000 off a Line of Credit I have on a commercial building which is not in her name?

I trashed it and started over with the seasoned attorney with real estate experience.

While VA's might make sense from a dollars and cents perspective, you might make up that cost savings with additional costs come tax season when your accountant has to piece together a poorly compiled set of records at a high hourly rate.  

For seasoned investors, would you mind sharing which customer relationship management tool you find helpful and why?