If you are not a member of the NC Assoc of Realtors, then no, you don't have to list the house on MLS; you can market the house however you want, like through typical wholesaling offmarket activities like BP.

How do they typically charge and when do they bill the client for things that need to get fixed on the property?

Cut out anything non essential, and start hustling.

I typically don't do more than 5% per year, but if you are under market value then maybe do every six months.

Are they done similar to new construction where lender stages disbursements and do they typically require a full construction contract? 

Essentially, the seller of the note maintains control of the security in case of default.

If you have a property manager for your properties they will typically sign the lease with the tenants, so they would be required to hold the security deposit.

Typically, appraisals which don’t involve a sale/purchase price will be more conservative.When the Identical house to yours actually sells, then you could try again.

Demand and rental prices typically dip around this time of year.

The larger banks are typically the worst.