Based on number 2, I schedule them for the next round where I meet them in person at one of the properties. 

You are correct re: last 5 to 10 years but all locations have cycles and helpful to understand where in the cycle you are and just understand that if you believe you are in the later innings based on historical averages of the complete cycle does it make sense to jump in or not or find better markets in different parts of the cycle.  

I guess based on your answer for #2 that they will go off what the agent says is physically in the comparable property in the MLS, since they can't actually get in there to inspect it.  

Paint companies put together their popular colors or what they forecast for that year as trending in fashion and based on "Region" but there is a reason the chip wall and fan decks are so all encompassing.

I am basically employing contractors that find leads on a commission based compensation.

New York City-based real estate investor building a high-performance portfolio of investments in Northeast Ohio where I grew up.

If he fudged on income, make him a lower offer based on what he reported:)You might not believe this, but people lie in this business!

However, since both units are rented this would be classified as an investment property in which case your rate will probably be 4.00% to 4.250% on a 30yr fixed depending on FICO credit score.The maximum loan to value for a cash-out transaction (investment property, duplex) is 70%.Based on the information you've provided it doesn't appear the value is high enough for the property to be eligible for a cash-out transaction but you can still remove PMI.If you want to send me a PM I can run a complete analysis to see if removing the PMI will offset the slightly higher interest rate.I'm also licensed in CA so if you're looking to purchase a property I can help with that transaction as well.

I would also like to build a network of reputable, integrity based individuals in my area.

I would look at it this way:On one hand, I can try to find a local bank that will like me enough (yes, it's a person-to-person relationship in these small banks) to give me the loan to refinance but they will do LTV or LTC whichever is LOWER and will usually use the current NOI as the bases of valuation.