On the siding maybe do something like a desert tan with some red hue that’s a light warm and inviting design.

I work for a builder, a lot SF investors laying roots here.

Sometimes a face-to-face conversation can cut through the red tape faster than any paperwork shuffle.It might feel like the city's operating without accountability, but there are folks within the system who genuinely want to help - you just have to find them.

There is also the local knowledge of a market like here in Lake Tahoe where lending can be trickier so an offer with a local lender might get chosen because they have a reputation to get a deal done vs a national lender that can have more red tape and a slower process. 

That raises a ton of red flags to me.

Just make sure to document how you arrived at the land value in case of IRS inquiries.If you’re unsure or want to avoid any red flags, consider consulting a tax professional to ensure you’re compliant and optimizing your depreciation. 

Also remember the time these returns will take to amend along with the possibility of opening up audit periods/red flags with the IRS due to amendments.Doing this yourself on turbo tax likely won't be your best bet considering all of the details.

I would recommend investigating the root of the problem first.

My pleasure.To answer this question you first need to understand what a motivated seller is because this is the root of all the inconsistent advice flying around.

Similarly if you feel the material pricing is marked up by too much, that's similarly a red flag.