Once again, a profound illustration of the importance of financial independence.

However, independent of the painful schooling I've had being a long distance landlord (I refuse to hand it over to a prop man co), I've managed to turn the property around, literally doubled the rent from when i bought it, significantly improved the tenant base and have updated, renovated, and flushed out most of the poor workmanship the property has suffered over the years.

Many times when borrowers are current, the servicers do think everything is alright.

They are a great service to use once you really get going with a large number leads.

Using their services and paying them for it?

That last question is good too but I would not totally rely on the current owner and check with a local professional service or verify it myself.Who the hell is this guy anyway and why should I rely on his answer? 

I've stumbled upon a few service companies in my area that only service about a 15 mile radius.

After looking for some form of customer service and stumbling onto the FB page, apparently John answered the FB message to me.

I would find a couple of independent agents and see if they have something more competitive. 

Quick closings, good customer service, low fees, interest only payments and desktop appraisals in many cases.