@Danielle WolterHi Danielle,I my opinion spending $350 and getting a hotel for a couple of nights is a small price to pay to do your due deligence on a market you would like to invest in.  

The comps on Airbnb look like they're rented out about 50% with quite a bit of variability but the prices are tough to nail down due to quite a bit of variability also ($80-200/night).

The sleepless nights will come, and come often!

My name is Bryan I am kind of new to real-estate I have been studying it day n night for the past 5 months and it has gotten to the point, where I am just done with the studying and just want to go.

I'm sure it will be a long, tiring process with sleepless nights and long days. 

Forget legal implications, that's a "can you sleep well at night" issue.

The difference between turning a unit that did and didn't have a animal is day and night.

Please include ANY person who will be staying at the property for more than 2 nights a month. 

While two reps from the same firm will quote you the same rate, their ability to execute the loan can be night and day different.In regards to pros and cons ... think of the lending world as falling into 3 primary buckets: 1) traditional banks and credit unions (ie, Wells, BofA, Chase, etc), 2) mortgage banks (ie, Caliber, Quicken, Fairway, etc), and 3) mortgage brokers.Traditional Banks: (they do loans and hold deposits)Pros: because they tend to do such a large volume of loans, they are able to offer low rates ... they have the ability to do portfolio loansCons: very slow turn times - if you need to close quickly, they're generally unable to perform ... they tend to use national appraisal management companies and appraisal issues are common in competitive markets.Mortgage Banks: (they only do loans - no deposits)Pros: have the ability to close loans much faster - some of the local mortgage banks that we work with on purchases will routinely close loans in less than 14 days ... they often setup their own appraisal management companies and are able to improve the appraisal quality by ensuring the use of local appraisers.Cons: while they should be very competitive with their rates, they're not going to be the absolute lowest ... portfolio loans are generally not an option - they need to sell their loans right away so they can get that money back to lend it out again.Mortgage Brokers:Pros: they will have access to a bunch of different lenders and loan products, so they can submit your info to whichever one is offering the best terms at that moment.Cons: they have no control/influence over the underwriters or the timeframes ... they're generally forced to use national appraisal management companies, so appraisal issues are more commonHope this is helpful and good luck with the refi!

I'm using email because I work the night shift and I don't want to call potential contractors in the middle of the night.