We were able to refinance with our go to bank at a decent rate in this environment which allowed us to pull out our initial investment and renovation cost.

Padsplit's answer is that no politician will attach the affordable housing industry because this is the only private solution to solve the housing crisis now. 

Curious if we have to officially wait till trump is president or if some banks have already started.

The last forecasts I have seen from major banks and the MBA are still expecting rates in the 5.9%-ish range for spring 2025 (Q2) and that does not make any sense to me given what I see.

Banks will be reluctant to lend you and other buyers/borrowers a mortgage for a building like this as it is seen as high risk.

You may be able to get a levy against their bank account or file a wage garnishment without the need for going to collections. 

I know some mentioned about developing banking relationships and I totally agree with that, so here is what you do. 1) Open a business checking account in the name of your LLC to hold the assets. 2) Deposit your cash into that account to fund the real estate purchases3) After owning for 60-90 days, talk with a local lender about a line of credit against the 2 properties at 60% LTV. 4) After about 30-45 days, have the line open to use if you need that liquidity that you used, but until then you are not paying 7% interest on nothing. 

Will he co-sign on loans from banks or private lenders, or will he just say, call 15 banks?

If the rate is reasonable then it may make sense to try to save fast to get to the 3.5% down payment on a double or triple - househacking may allow you to increase your savings rate and pay down that loan even faster.As for estimating costs, closing in NY factor at least 1% of the mortgage amount for tax, plus $1500-2000 for lawyer, title and fees, then the amount required by the bank for escrow will depend on the actual property taxes and insurance.

@Haiden Welch I'd lean into local banks and credit unions.