"you will have to have a national strategy for tax lines"   NO NO NO NO NO NO NO !!!  

If you have (2) free and clear rentals with no mortgages I would also encourage you to pull cash out of them while values are in favor of cash out.I would avoid a Heloc and just do a cash out refinance the rates are lower and the terms are longer so you get a lower payment.

When I do my own units, should I charge a really low price to my own property to make it self sufficient as it would then cover its own expenses, or should I charge the regular full price for cleaning and pay myself the entire cost for cleaning to boost my income?

That doesn't just include the interest rate but can also include many/all loan costs as well - varies by state but can include points, title, escrow, processing fees, etc. 

How does this work in FL and what is cost for someone who did it recent?

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Demand is greater than supply.

There are definitely pros and cons to each so I figured I would just lay out a few benefits and personal thoughts: Small banks/brokerages:Pros:- Some regional knowledge of the market- Possibility of more creative lending guidelines with bank specific programs- Sometimes they have competitive rates for their areaCons: - weak balance sheet (more strict on some guidelines, no wiggle room, inability to be flexible or grant exceptions because they cannot afford to hold less than perfect loans)- Can't scale with clients to different markets- Usually limits exposure to individual investors (they don't want one investor to be too big of a portion of their balance sheet)- Lack of experience with multiple solutions (tend to have 2 or 3 loan products they sell and are too niche to provide tailored solutions)Large banks/brokerages:Pros:- Large compliance departments that understand individual market guidelines (typically each state has specific lending guidelines that augment the national baseline)- Ability to scale into multiple markets with same lender (licensed in many states)- Impossible for individual investors to "outgrow" a large bank's balance sheet (not concerned with one investor's concentration)- More lending solutions available for different scenarios- Often comparable or better rates given the game is volume basedCons:- Can be more difficult to get fast responses if the bank/brokerage does not have good follow up systems in place (or if the underwriting/processing staff gets overwhelmed)- Bad large banks can feel less like a relationship and more like a cog in a factory (less personal)Overall, I have worked from both and worked with both as a loan officer, branch manager, and as an investor/client myself. 

Toledo is ranked #1 for 2024.https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023/12/ohio-town-ranked-no-1-us-housing-market-of-2024-realtorcom-says.html