If you can use hard money to fund your deal, that would be my first choice.

That is the whole idea of self-directed investing- that you are able to make choices that are not available with typical IRAs and 401ks, but it is up to you to make good choices based on your situation and goals.As for fraud, I believe most of this has to do with the investments that can be made with a self-directed account that are simply not possible with a typically-restrictive IRA or 401k.

$500K property,2 mortgage options:Option 1: Rate 3.375% with 25% down payment. Option 2: Rate 2.75 with 30% down payment. Which one would you choose, and why?

Many years before I became a realtor I was a USAF veteran working an IT job and was bedazzled by the market at the time and a "perfect" house and bought at the tippy top ceiling of my affordable price range (chasing that white picket fence dream, etc.), using my VA benefit. 

Many times this penalty can go up to many millions of dollars.Now let’s get back to what is the better choice, to refinance or sell a property.

They use algorythms and no algorythm is perfect.

Someone who looks like they don't have the change to ride a bus or appear to be so stupid they failed 2nd grade is not very likely to have anything for rent (and if they did it would be not be the smart choice for someone to rent from them).Gail

@John Woodrich took the words right out of my mouth, perfect 10. 

Contacting me with "urgent" service calls on things that were working perfectly fine with the user being the issue.

The 30 day notice would be my first choice and hopefully the tenant chooses to cooperate.