"Had to quickly explain it was just holiday vacancies."
Yeah, lenders often get hung up on seasonal dips. I've found it helps to proactively provide a brief explanation upfront—like noting typical vacancy periods around holidays or winter months—when submitting your initial docs. Saves some back-and-forth later. Also, keeping a simple spreadsheet handy showing year-over-year rental trends can smooth things out if they start nitpicking... lenders love clear visuals.
Good point about visuals—I've seen lenders relax a bit when they have clear data in front of them. But honestly, even with solid explanations, some lenders just can't help but overthink seasonal vacancies. Had one recently who kept circling back to a two-week gap around Christmas like it was some huge red flag... took a few patient emails and a gentle reminder that tenants usually prefer family dinners to moving boxes during holidays. Patience (and spreadsheets) definitely help keep sanity intact.
"Had one recently who kept circling back to a two-week gap around Christmas like it was some huge red flag..."
Had something similar happen when refinancing my duplex. Lender got stuck on a short vacancy in July—prime vacation season, go figure. Took me a few rounds of calmly pointing out historical occupancy rates and local market trends before they finally relaxed. Definitely agree patience and clear data are key, but honestly, some lenders just seem wired to worry about every little blip...
Haha, lenders can be a funny bunch sometimes. Had one recently who acted like a single weekend vacancy was the apocalypse—like tenants aren't allowed to have lives or something. I ended up showing them Airbnb stats for the neighborhood and even threw in some local event calendars to prove it was just a fluke. Sometimes you gotta gently remind them that real estate isn't a spreadsheet...it's real life, with actual humans involved.
Yeah, lenders can get pretty dramatic about minor vacancies. Had a similar situation once where my lender freaked out over a short gap between tenants. I just calmly pointed out how quickly the place typically rents and showed them some neighborhood rental trends. Eventually, they chilled out. You're right though—sometimes you gotta remind them gently that real estate involves actual people, not just formulas on a spreadsheet...
