I know I don't have to give them anything but I wanted to get a general consensus of what seasoned landlords do.

Bill,Judging from my conversations with lenders, there is no hard and fast rule for the "seasoning period" for refinance.  

Waiting 6 months no only gets you the full exclusion saving you possibly as much as $63K or $125K (25% of the maximum exemption of $250K in gain or $500Kin gain) in taxes but it also gives you 6 months more of appreciation and has you selling the house in the prime spring selling season.  6 months reaps a mighty potential reward.

We are about to purchase our first rental property and are a little nervous about finding renters during the holiday season.

Here is the search criteria he used to pull his ARV comps value:- 12 months of sales- Living area of +1,400 sqft of subject property or below (Subject is 1,200)- 1.21 Mile radius from subject property- Price range of $250,000 or aboveWOW, I have a real problem with 3 of the 4 bullet points here.  

Not seasoned by any means but have done about 12 or 13 deals. 

Seasonality: Chicago Airbnb, like Chicago real estate, is seasonal.

I am a seasoned single family investor that has an interest in parks, and put my first one under contract.

This gave me the ability to contribute up to $5,500 pre-tax at my own discretion to limit my tax liability come tax season. 

If I bite the bullet and pay the $45k to the county, I would be able to rent the unit out for the time being although it is not likely to cash flow.