Thanks all for the help - went with the architect with a great final result and product and they took care of stamps and all requirements.

Yes, there are products out there that will allow you to refi after you complete your renovation with no seasoning requirements 

We do it for our clients all the time.But an OOS investor should be careful as there are so many ways they can get taken advantage of:1) Buying the wrong property, wrong location, etc2) Being overcharged because there's no transparency on actual costs and budget3) Shoddy work because no pics/video are supplied4) Crappy tenants are placed that destroy the rennovationsNone of the above are discovered until an owner goes to refinance the property or sell it.What should an investor do to protect themselves?

No tenant/contractor images or "video tours" - boots on the ground with eyeballs!  

This video has me looking at that again and what I found just after making this post 

It'll be a mix of on demand videos, live Q&A sessions, and a step-by-step curriculum to help you get your next deal.

Because of this treatment in the CARES act, the multifamily industry weathered the worst of the pandemic.History tells us that during recessions, multifamily housing production contracts moderately, rent declines are short lived, and vacancies only increase briefly and by modest amounts.

( wear layer, thickness, padding, price)What surprised you the most with this product?

It's a mix of on demand videos, live Q&A sessions, and a step-by-step curriculum to help you get your next deal.

But physically altering with infrastructure etc creates inventory and requires you to start a new clock to demonstrate your intent to hold for productive use and allow the 1031.