Back in the 1970s when I first entered the real estate profession (my fellow bankers were shocked that I left international banking to work as a COMMISSIONED commercial real estate salesperson!)

I was shocked to the core.

The build has run longer than expected (shocking...) but the house should be finished in the next 2 weeks.  

I have found that shock collars do not work, but these inexpensive anti-barking devices work pretty well.

You’d be shocked by how little actual screening many PMC’s do!

All of them paid the rent on time and didn't destroy the property and were generally pleasant to interact with and it never made any difference to me what they were. 

And if they are looking for a one bedroom or two bedroom, they will be pleasantly surprised at the extra room. 

I also found a dozen mechanic's liens dating back to 2022 (meaning they didn't pay contractors that did work on the property).I'd like to say I'm shocked that you had no idea this was coming, but I'm really not shocked. 

This is how you can keep the same system, same home layout, and just make a minor change to how the extra bedroom is filed with the cityAlthough not a pleasant surprise like you mentioned, luckily this is a very minor issue in reality and everything they're telling you is accurate.

My thoughts: East Bay:- Close to a BART station to traveling medical worker/corporate person could hop on a bus/BART to work: El Cerrito, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Dublin, Pleasanton- Maybe Richmond, Antioch and Pittsburg but some parts have a lot of crime. - Going further out Brentwood and Oakley have appreciated quite a bit and have pretty good schools- Something with potential to add value: ADU attached to the main house or separately in the backyard in the future to get additional rent.