I do know that sometimes in this market with higher interest, flexibility can be key!

Most investing strategy in the Bay is just appreciation.If you're interested in appreciation and cash flow, the Central Valley will be a great bet.

However, it might also be worth exploring ways to increase your income, whether through side hustles, certifications, or career changes, to give you more flexibility in your investments.Ultimately, it’s about aligning your investment with your goals.

These areas tend to offer slightly more flexibility, and depending on the size of the property you’re looking for, you might find larger units than in Portland.Also, as Scott mentioned, increasing rents in Portland can be a slow process, especially with the 10% cap or 7% + CPI limits, whichever is lower.

You're best bet is to talk to management and see if there is an exception that can be made based on your plan.

There are definitely pros and cons to each so I figured I would just lay out a few benefits and personal thoughts: Small banks/brokerages:Pros:- Some regional knowledge of the market- Possibility of more creative lending guidelines with bank specific programs- Sometimes they have competitive rates for their areaCons: - weak balance sheet (more strict on some guidelines, no wiggle room, inability to be flexible or grant exceptions because they cannot afford to hold less than perfect loans)- Can't scale with clients to different markets- Usually limits exposure to individual investors (they don't want one investor to be too big of a portion of their balance sheet)- Lack of experience with multiple solutions (tend to have 2 or 3 loan products they sell and are too niche to provide tailored solutions)Large banks/brokerages:Pros:- Large compliance departments that understand individual market guidelines (typically each state has specific lending guidelines that augment the national baseline)- Ability to scale into multiple markets with same lender (licensed in many states)- Impossible for individual investors to "outgrow" a large bank's balance sheet (not concerned with one investor's concentration)- More lending solutions available for different scenarios- Often comparable or better rates given the game is volume basedCons:- Can be more difficult to get fast responses if the bank/brokerage does not have good follow up systems in place (or if the underwriting/processing staff gets overwhelmed)- Bad large banks can feel less like a relationship and more like a cog in a factory (less personal)Overall, I have worked from both and worked with both as a loan officer, branch manager, and as an investor/client myself. 

Personally the most effective bet is too call other local PM companies yourself because only you can truly express your concerns and maybe get better pricing.It should only take 15 mins per call.

Typically they involve higher leverage, faster closing time frames, and more flexible guidelines, but at the cost of higher rates and shorter term loans.  

I bet there are very very few deals that get funded..

@Andrey AndronovichThose expenses usually don't have that much flexibility.