Next, I tend to recommend that clients stay away from inflated HOA fees.

Also, these deals tend to have very thin margins because the brokers will soak up a lot of the up front pricing while also pressuring you to get skinny on the rate.

(Currently our rebar supplier is behind 2+ weeks and these materials were ordered 45 days in advance). 

A truly "motivated" seller tends to not really care the amount of earnest money and you could also structure your EM due at end of your inspection period.

Honestly, I've given up on finding cashflow anywhere close to the city due to rates and prices, BUT some other opportunities you may want to consider are:Live in flip - mentioned earlier in this thread, always a solid option in any market.Condo conversions - good money to be made from this and since they're a little trickier than a traditional flip there tends to be more inventory available that would allow for a profit.ADUs - come February 2nd, ADUs are allowed BY RIGHT on any SF property in the state, owner occupied or not.

They tend to cash flow really well ;) They cash flow well, but the rate of return is dramatically reduced.Assume a house costs $200,000 and rents for $1,500.

Renting out mobile homes can be a great source of cash flow but they’re notorious for being damaged significantly by tenants and tend to need a good bit of repairs before renting out to the next tenant.

One question I have is that I have heard that DIY cost segregations tend to be more conservative, meaning a full engineered study would likely return more in deductions.  

Regarding DTI - mortgage industry will alllow around 40%, but tenants tend to pay a higher percentage of their income to rent/housing than homeowners.

I tend to overanalyze things, often leading to inaction, mainly because I have a somewhat pessimistic outlook on the economy and I'm trying to avoid getting overexposed.