Let the conversation be natural, be friends.  

I would not utilize anyone who did not have some skin in the game within the area.

With investments, banks have to see much more skin in the game to justify the risk, especially commercial.Hope this helps!

Most HML lenders want you to have some skin in the game.

The nature of my investing will start as flipping single-family homes, and evolve into multi-family rentals and later into renovation of distressed multi-family residences.  

Naturally my eyes have been on Noda, Midwood etc and I have been watching the Meck County zoning board rezone building left and right for other developers.  

Out here in the flatlands, folks have a lot of brown/natural wood/beige furniture & linens, so gray is a little too trendy for some properties.

The problem you have is that even if you meet the down payment banks will want your "skin in the game"  meaning they will only do the deal if you are putting in cash.   

That is natural vegetation and looks nice as long as its not poison ivy.  

If you're going to buy out here you have to play the long game, you don't lose until you sell, that's why real estate is so great, even if the market tanks you still have a hard asset to collect money from (because rents do not go down) and you have tenants to pay your mortgage while building equity and historically San Diego has been a great appreciation market, so of course one shouldn't speculate, but let's be honest, Real Estate is inherently an appreciating asset by it's very nature.