In theory a larger bank would be better suited (and truly regional and national banks do offer more competitive individual products at times) but to the contrary I've found my small one and two location banks having the most flexibility and speed in business, based on the trust we are able to build.I'd recommend asking around at your local REIA meeting to see if there are any pro-level investors in the room who happen to be lenders, or who invest in a similar way to you. 

MA and RI vary widely by region in cost and character.

Generally where I invest there are only a few properties that make the cut to bid on.If I knew what a real opening bid was, I may order a title report and consider bidding on more properties.BTW, I just bought my first property from the courthouse steps from a Region's bank foreclosure. 

For those that own/manage property in a snowy region what are is your policy for snow plowing?

Its mostly in the southeast region I believe.

Thought I would add to the discussion by running some numbers on the data.The following three maps show the change in the number of housing units for the 125 to 150k, 300k to 400k, and 750 to 1M home value cohorts from 2014 to 2018, aggregated by Census DivisionAs was stated, the supply of lower end properties (125k to 150k) has decreased drastically in all parts of the US except for the area around the great lakes region. 

Estimated market rent after improvements:  $3K (averaged from other similar properties in town w/ no waterfront)I've spent time researching local rent rates for in-town properties as well as properties in the immediate rural region but have been unable to find comparable water-front listings. 

I think your best avenue at this point would be to present your scenario to community banks and credit unions in your region to better gauge the likelihood of a refinance. 

Looking for active investors in the Southwest Louisiana region.

Would love to hear some experiences from people who have properties in this region.