The responses from some Real Estate “professionals” in this thread explains why real estate agents and representatives wear the badge of honor of being nosey, careless, borderline illegal and non-compliant with the most basic regulations and elemental  ethics.

I will screen and background them as I do all new tenants but looking for some advice as to whether it is advisable to add a non-financially responsible tenant to the lease.

I am no expert (hence posting here) but the bit that I have read seems to indicate that if the business is located in CA and operating in CA (as is the case since the property is in CA), the business is likely to fall under CA laws in the event of an issue. 

If you are a broker who welcome agents with non-affiliation with board of realtor, or know of a broker who operates like this, could you please connect with me? 

Hi Elizabeth, BiggerPockets has a Featured Property Management Finder, which can be a good way for you to find some local experts to initiate conversations with.

It is essential that you consult with an experienced cross-border team including attorney(s) and tax expert(s) to ensure that you access the right advice!

Who can I contact for best rates and terms for non-primary home, NEW build for STR? 

Hopefully you will have some cash flow to throw at the non real estate debt. 

I ended up doing conventional (non-FHA) and it worked out great.  

With some creativity and some carpentry work (usually not that expensive), you can create value by turning a non-optimal unit into one that maximizes the square footage.