Did I mention...

This past month we have been trying to re-fi the mortgage on our duplex. For some reason, the word "duplex" causes fear and trembling in the eyes of the lenders, and causes us to have extra "hits" against us (which means higher interest rates). I don't know why, but we have been through the ringer, jumped through a billion hoops, paid money, and more money, and still... we keep hitting a brick wall. First, it was the appraisal. It cost more because of the fact that we own a duplex. Hmm. Then, the guy who came out somehow MISSED an entire bedroom on one side of the duplex. So that cost us some on our home value, but apparently not enough to put us at having atleast 20% equity in the home, so we can't drop our Mortgage Insurance. We also can't apply for a Conventional Loan (funny thing is, that is what we currently have...) we have to apply for an FHA Loan. But the fact that our house was built in 1971 and has some popcorn ceilings on one side, is causing us a problem now. We have to have it tested for asbestos, and if it tests positive, the popcorn will have to come out before the loan will be approved. FHA loans are so much more picky about everything! We already put a lot of work into the house, scraping chipped paint and re-painting, lots of yard work,etc... but it seems like every time we turn around, the lenders are requiring something else. Perhaps this is not the right time for us to refinance? The thought has definitely been crossing our minds. But it sure would be nice to save a couple hundred dollars a month off the payment if we can get this deal to go through!