While the image of yours I found seem to show the main entry to the 2nd floor at ground level, the older the prospective tenant, the less interested they are in a non-ground floor unit. 2) Using another part of the property as storage could limit interest and I could see that as a turn off with folks once they find this out.FYI, the listing I found on realtor.com makes no mention of the tenant not having access the entire property or the basement being used as storage.

I 100% agree with the intent aspect and that is an important premise, but the fact is in this particular situation intent for it to be personal use has been confirmed (by way of a public post).

What are your non-negotiable factors vs nice to haves?

We talked about opening the meetups to the general public, and not just BP members to get more people. let me know what topics you'd like to get more expertise on, and I'll line up some people to come so we can pick their brains.

If credit scores are fine, and you are just new to the work sector, then I would suggest doing a conventional loan with a strong income "non-occupying coborrower". 

Is it public record that I can find online?

@Kate Zieverink McMinn we just hosted a webinar with a friend in Orange County, CA that used to be a public works engineer.

Hard money is a type of business loan for non-owner occupying investors.

Even if you create a non-CA LLC, if you are managing the business from California, you will likely be deemed to be "doing business" in California and therefore likely subject to CA taxes.

I have seen some properties on MLS that I contact my realtor and they may know right away the reason it isn't selling from showing it previously, or they can review the realtor comments that aren't viewable by the public on MLS.Other potential reasons I have seen properties listed on MLS for a long time. 1) Some investors may not be comfortable inheriting existing tenants.2) It may be it is a class C neighborhood. 3) Structural issues.