Hi Jerry,SF has some of the strongest rent control laws in the country, limiting how much you can increase rent and they also have a strict guideline for eviction. 

There are definitely pros and cons to each so I figured I would just lay out a few benefits and personal thoughts: Small banks/brokerages:Pros:- Some regional knowledge of the market- Possibility of more creative lending guidelines with bank specific programs- Sometimes they have competitive rates for their areaCons: - weak balance sheet (more strict on some guidelines, no wiggle room, inability to be flexible or grant exceptions because they cannot afford to hold less than perfect loans)- Can't scale with clients to different markets- Usually limits exposure to individual investors (they don't want one investor to be too big of a portion of their balance sheet)- Lack of experience with multiple solutions (tend to have 2 or 3 loan products they sell and are too niche to provide tailored solutions)Large banks/brokerages:Pros:- Large compliance departments that understand individual market guidelines (typically each state has specific lending guidelines that augment the national baseline)- Ability to scale into multiple markets with same lender (licensed in many states)- Impossible for individual investors to "outgrow" a large bank's balance sheet (not concerned with one investor's concentration)- More lending solutions available for different scenarios- Often comparable or better rates given the game is volume basedCons:- Can be more difficult to get fast responses if the bank/brokerage does not have good follow up systems in place (or if the underwriting/processing staff gets overwhelmed)- Bad large banks can feel less like a relationship and more like a cog in a factory (less personal)Overall, I have worked from both and worked with both as a loan officer, branch manager, and as an investor/client myself. 

Insurance typically covers the loan amount and the lender will have specific guidelines.

You can go and look up all the Fannie Mae guidelines online on their website:https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/sel/b/origination-throug...The link above is the "origination through closing guidelines"Hope it helps!  

Lean on your real estate agent to help you if you're out of town but set some guidelines for what qualifies your tenant outside of pets/no pets.

Depending on the location of the rental property, I would need to confirm that I have the proper licensing and I’m following the local permit guidelines. 

@David SwitzerThe ADA Guidelines do allow a steeper slope than 1:12 if the site conditions of an existing building can meet the criteria.

Holding onto a property merely for tax considerations is a dangerous gamble.

Typically they involve higher leverage, faster closing time frames, and more flexible guidelines, but at the cost of higher rates and shorter term loans.  

This is investing, not gambling.