We aim to buy and hold and accumulate about 4 properties through standard mortgages. 

Values are generally driven by interest rates, loan standards/government regulations, employment, inventory, and foreign investment.

It's also not fair to me to be waiting on you all to catch up with your payments to me, when you all have the money to go to the beach on vacation and to build a nice new deck around your pool.

Install a standard lowes neutral tile and replace the countertop to match.

The big banks, particularly the ones - like Chase, City & BofA - that got hammered in the mortgage crisis and the subsequent lawsuits, are not good options for anything other than the most standard and traditional of circumstances for mortgage lending.

If you don't mind me asking, was your purchase the standard 20% down or was it FHA?

The standard way to do it to save up the 20 or 25% (through income from a job or flips) and use that to hold.

Not trying to be negative, just realistic.The standard advice to someone in your situation would be to get a owner-occupied loan on a 3 or 4 unit building.  

In some places there are 'livability' code issues that are also posted online.A standard part of our preliminary market research is to determine what information can be found online at which website.

I ordered a copy of the appraisal and noticed that the comps that were used were other foreclosures in sub-standard condition and also older sales and further away from my property than other available comps.