If I'm an American with the capital it makes sense to go with the full franchise.

This is another older book, I got it at a used book shop eight years ago.

Close and move in...typically 30-45 days later.Of course we can argue lots of things left out here....locking interest rate, checking and putting in place insurance, lots of different kinds of inspections you can do...general home, roof, foundation, radon, WDI, sewer pipes, and more, negotiating repairs, shopping lenders, and more.

I'm thinking Edmonton and shopping around for SF, duplex, triplex.

Doing this will give you your budget that you are cool shopping with.

Aside from that, what you need to be doing is researching legitimate lenders through sites such as American Association of Private Party Lenders, Scotsguide, and a variety of other established sites.

I shop for my appliances at discounted stores, or wholesale warehouses.  

We have an incredible view of Mt Rainier, open fields in front of us, a couple of k-12 schools immediately next door, and living so close to a college campus means there's always a nice place to walk and decent cafe's/coffee shops. 

To keep cost down, shop shop shop around. 

The credit bureaus understand that consumers need to shop around for rates.My suggestion is shop around online and look at advertised rates, pick a few local lenders / banks and ask them for a rate quote.