Whether you bought your home first or went straight into real estate?  

Buy and hold or cut my losses.

Why "history" matters I don't have a clue since it seems like a straight purchase and sale, maybe their time or information is that precious.Other posts shine rays of light and say it is possible to find lenders willing to show their inventory with enough outreach.I'm targeting Ohio and maybe a couple other states depending on how many calls I might need to make.

I've seen a lot of rehabbers cut major corners and try to leave unsuspecting buyers holding the bag.

It's knowing where to look and having someone work with you that knows what the hell they're doing that will help you cut through the big data and make sense of under-valued acquisitions, of which, there are plenty. 

They can literally cut it up.

No straight answer (our other rentals have NYE bookings) they recommended the guest extend their stay to avoid the block, but would not say how long the stay would have to be to not be "high risk".

Even purchasing off-market without an agent and opening escrow with a title company is pretty straight forward. 

The second picture is a cross section of the 2" vertical stack I cut out.

I don't want to cut corners.