i think having 'discovery calls' with multiple brokers/lenders is always a good idea. see what loan products they can offer you, what their rates are like (but note that many tell you one thing & ultimately have to close you at another), and most importantly make sure you have a good gut feeling about them. make sure they're responsive and want to educate you & don't try to win your business by sh*tting on other lenders. it weirds me out that the person you talked to had said what they said. to my knowledge, rate shopping & getting your credit pulled for it multiple x in one 30-day span is just fine. all those hard inquiries fall off anyway. it's worth it to get a great loan product and a great rate. and they're wrong - not all lenders have the same products to offer!

I consider the risk of 1-2 months vacancy not worth the extra $600/year.

It's worth chatting with a lender and your accountant early, so that you don't make the same mistakes.

Remember, bot property values are $100k, so they both increase in value from appreciation the same way. 

Remember SBA will only loan up to $5mm of their money. 

Was it worth the investment? 

Might be worth being the first to check it out?? 

Well worth whatever he charges if he charges anything for it. 

In my fourplex, only 1/4 of the gains would be tax-free and as a buy-and-hold investor, I decided it wouldn't be worth it.

They both lay out and explain the process.1: The Book on Flipping Houses - J Scott2: FLIP - Rick VillaniWell worth the time and very informational.Good Luck!