@Jim Webster @Jonathan Pflueger yes, definitely something else going on...I'm a licensed MLO here in CA (nmls 1503643) I've mentioned before that lenders have "over-lays" which are extra guidelines, and it sounds like you are only getting one opinion, maybe not the correct one. 

Avoid Morris invest Thanks for the mention Caleb,Much appreciated

If you haven't I would recommend it, it'll answer all your questions and get thinking more than the AARP mail you mentioned.

Possibly Texas, Ohio, Florida or Louisiana to mention a few.

No, that's not how hard money works, that's where the traditional banks play.You are looking for a bridge loan essentially, something that will bridge your project to traditional financing.Bridge Plus from Lima One Capital as a for instanceThe spirit of the BRRRR is two loans:Take your hard money to do your rehab, they will finance a portion of your repairs as well.

Quick search on the forums will indicate that all 4 areas you've mentioned have solid activity (buy and sell). 

What you can control are your costs mentioned previously.

They and  NSB changes their rules and guidelines so often it wasn’t worth mentioning before. 4 years ago CCCU gave me a pair of cash out refis but they were only fixed rate for 7 years.

As mentioned, the answer to that question isn't short or even terribly easy to explain.

In the link that @Daniel Kauffman provided, several of the house hacking strategies mentioned include the use of AirBnB.