There are places that are tenant friendly and then there is California which is at another level completely.Have you thought about buying elsewhere? 

i'm in Pittsburgh, lower price point than Boston, trying to do my next BRRRR, and I keep getting outbid. 

We have made money buying properety based on cash flow (lower priced) rented out for a period, then selling to an owner occupant. 

Quote from @Jay Fayz: Hello everyone,I've recently been exploring real estate as a potential career path and I'm looking for advice on the best entry-level job to gain experience and knowledge.

At the most basic level a good deal makes you money with minimal cash and effort.

Seems like it'd be lower maintenance since it's a new build and in a nice area.

Appraisers are using MLS data and often it is lower than actual rents. 

As for by-the-room rentals, many lenders won't allow that and if they do, they qualify you off of the long term market rents (which, as I'm sure you can imagine, would be considerably lower than the actual per-room rents).

For the lower value properties they generally create less tax savings and it may not be worth it. 

Did you have to jump through so many hoops and provide this level of personal information?