You're spot on about lenders having hidden internal guidelines—I've bumped into that myself more times than I'd like to admit. Asking for their underwriting checklist upfront definitely helps, but I've found it also pays to dig a bit deeper into how they source their rental comps. Some lenders rely heavily on automated valuations, which can be way off in certain markets. If you can get clarity on that early, it saves a ton of frustration later... learned that one the hard way.
I've definitely encountered similar frustrations, especially with automated rental comps. Once had a deal nearly fall apart because the lender's AVM was pulling comps from an entirely different neighborhood—miles away and completely off-base. Even after pointing out the obvious error, it took days to get them to reconsider manually. Now I always ask upfront how flexible they are about manual overrides... saves headaches down the road. Still skeptical about how transparent lenders really are, but at least knowing their process helps level the playing field a bit.
Had a similar issue recently—client's DSCR got skewed because the AVM pulled comps from a luxury building several blocks away. Took some back-and-forth to sort out manually, but we got there eventually. Agree that clarifying manual override options upfront is key... lenders vary widely on flexibility.
Ran into something similar last year. AVM comps threw in a penthouse down the street—like comparing my Honda to a Ferrari, lol. Took some patience and a few polite-but-firm emails to straighten it out manually. Definitely learned the hard way to ask upfront about manual review options. Lenders can be all over the map on this, so it pays to shop around a bit before diving in... saves you some sanity later.
Had a similar headache myself a few months back. AVMs kept pulling comps from renovated luxury units that were way out of my league. Ended up having to manually submit my own comps and justify each one step-by-step—felt like homework, honestly. Curious, did you find lenders more willing to do manual reviews if you approached them early on, or was it more about persistence once the AVM went sideways? Trying to avoid another round of appraisal bingo next time...
