What I see most folks do when they are starting out .. they want to do these deals like they are a very seasoned or experienced syndicator / investor and are looking to make the lions share and finding the cheapest capital they can find.. this is all well and good unless you never find the capital and never do the deal.So when starting out and if these are the types of transactions you may want to repeat.. you need to turn the tables you need to make it so good for the investor they simply can't say know.. you give the investor the bigger slice of the pie.. and thereby secure your first big deal.. once you gain experience and track record you can then start to increase your return and lower the Private investors return as they are aligning themselves with an experienced and successful operator.

The deadline for signed leases for the property I manage is 1 Feb for the following August, 7 months in advance.My experience has been if I don't have the property filled by March, I won't be able to get anyone until the next 'lease signing season' a year later.

I don't think they would be very marketable having only 1,2,3 months seasoning.

Most lender will require seasoning, as much as 3 years before they can use new appraised value.

Her other clients are where I aspire to be and my choice to hire her was because of that.I would advise you to ask more seasoned investors in your area who they work with.  

Lenders look at the deal but they also look at the investors, there will certainly be better terms if you are a seasoned investor with a good track record.I would certainly recommend looking for private money from family, friends, colleagues, etc. before going with the hard money option.  

We also made the lease slightly longer than 12 months to get back into prime renting season so we don't ever have to go through that again. 

Unfinished basements get moist but with proper air flow, mold/mildew has never appeared.  

How long is the "seasoning" period before we could refi and free up the VA loan portion to buy our house we want to live in?

Attend a few meetings and learn who the "Good Guys" are (seasoned investors who like to help new investors get started, but who do not mentor/guru for a living).