Pros and cons with each lender that have to be weighed:  Rate, prepayment, amortization or IO, closing costs, and reserve requirements.If you decide to refinance, I'd recommend seeking out credit union quotes before committing to an agency deal and weigh those options against each other.   

Room42.io offers engineering-based studies for residential components at $525 per property - way less than traditional firms but still defensible.

While $400k properties were historically the minimum threshold, platforms like room42.io now make cost seg accessible for much smaller residential deals.For investors with properties in the $200-400k range who were told "it's not worth it" in the past, it's worth taking a fresh look.

If your accountant is comfortable with the methodology and documentation, that's half the battle.For a small portfolio, I'd also suggest looking at newer options like room42.io.

A simple checkpoint I use is does the deal still hit a 1.25 DSCR at the refi under stressed rates and a higher exit cap, and is there enough reserves to survive the gap if not.Did they disclose the exact loan terms like LTV, IO period, extensions, and whether there was a rate cap in place, and what DSCR did it underwrite to at maturity day one?

Apples to Apples - Yes of course the scope has to be the same, but go deeper.

You don’t need to have an agent, but if you have one it’s one more piece of information.Remember when it comes to comps you need to compare apples to apples.

If their $300k comp needed a full reno and yours is turnkey, you're not really comparing apples to apples.

I do not know the prices for such a policy but something to be careful about as you compare quotes is making sure you’re truly comparing apples to apples.

If you're doing multiple SFH deals, platforms like room42.io deliver defensible studies for $500-600 with the same audit protection - just automated instead of custom.The real question is ROI.