Is it normal for commercial lenders, particular alternative funding firms, to require a non refundable deposit for appraisals, inspections and multi phase studies?  

The cost of everything is up now...materials from China due to tariffs, gas was up (now down a bit), and contractors/subs are all so flush with work that they had the power to charge higher prices.

I’m curious about alternative/creative strategies to purchase my next property.

They also sent me physical copies of the learning materials that I can use offline. 

After that I am cut off and forced to use other sites that aren't as accurate.In conclusion, Whitepages is an effective tool for getting in contact with property owners but I am curious to see if anyone has alternative methods/websites that they use that are more effective and help address my complaints. 

There are two garages, one i rent to a guy who is a contractor and stores his materials there.

Numerous regulatory violations dating from a long time ago (ie mishandling hazardous waste materials) as the site has always been used for auto services since the 60's.Anyways, I guess the main question on what's the worst that could happen and how much will it cost to fix it would need to be answered by an engineer. 

We thought that an alternative would be to rent a townhouse/ apartment for the remainder of the lease but I also have 9 cars (I collect) and with the amount of stuff and family members we have, it would be a giant inconvenience.

If you want to provide tenants the luxury of a disposal, then be prepared for materials and labor costs of replacing them every 2-5 years.

IMS is very robust and used by many of the top syndicators. there are less expensive alternatives out there but offer less features.