Gee, what a shock trashing the competition.No man stands as tall as the one standing on the pile of dirt he throws on the competition, eh? 

Also, any suggestions/recommendations on insurance companies with competitive rates would be greatly appreciated.

Is it a competitive advantage thing?

Using SDIRA's you have to get second tier financing options because its more risk for the bank, for example, a Roth IRA can buy real estate on leverage, however, will need a non-recourse loan which is often a fraction high-interest rate and lower LTV.

Columbus is a hot market and very competitive right now.

It is very competitive here. 

I've never had to orchestrate this process.Also, is it best to let your lenders know that you are shopping around to keep them a bit honest/competitive, or is it best to keep that information on the low down?

Good acquisition deals on Multi-Family are a much harder to find though due to competitiveness in the market.

@Richard Whitaker the companies that will be competitive on a 5 unit building will be represented by an independent agents, so best to ask for a good broker who specializes int he REI space than the company name.  

I invest in a very competitive market so I feel that it is quite challenging to conquer zip codes, but I will differently take what you’ve said into consideration.