I suppose I'm looking for any advice on how you found an alternative to hard money. 

Get a fixed price - not a quote for time and materials.

We could sell the old house and net at least $175-200k (after costs of selling -- this is a hot market) and would put that toward the new mortgage (reducing our monthly payment and interest costs).Alternatively, we can rent it at an amount that covers mortgage, taxes, and insurance, but not much more than that.

Note that I don't have a material interest in supporting either the bull or bear narrative. 

They may have materials.

Does anyone recommend a deposit alternative insurance company?

I know that ADU's was an alternative to building from the ground up.

An alternate perspective from someone in a larger city market - I am hesitant to put my STRs on Google maps.

He was a big help to me and I enjoyed his material.

Building new sounds great, but it's usually way more expensive per square foot when you factor in land, materials, labor, and permits.