According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), as of 2023, housing inventory remains 40% below pre-pandemic levels, leading to heightened competition in many areas.To be considered a neutral market, not seller's or buyer's, the specific market center would need to have 6 months of inventory.

Banks like to match short term assets with short term liabilities, and vice versa.I don't believe that DSCR loans are "expensive", but they do require a more thorough underwriting and higher amount of financial documentation other private and hard money loans.It generally helps to have a Fractional CFO or Loan Consultant (not a broker) that will work on your behalf to negotiate better DSCR terms and rates.

Is yours unique, or is there a lot of competition?

You want to know the total demand and the existing competition.  

He said that they're usually very competitive for properties this size.

However, based on their website, they do offer competitive programs for fix-and-flip investors.

Their automessages and workflows are good and more robust than the competition. 

I planned for it financially, but it's a headache for sure. your rent is too high if they are sitting vacant.. there is more inventory than butts to put in them.. therefore competition for the few qualified tenants this will cause rents to go DOWN.. if a property is not rented in 2 to 4 weeks your rent is too high .. this is one of the major risk factors that many dont see when buying in a subdivision of group of ALL new rentals..

While investing locally is usually the easiest route, SoCal can be challenging with high entry costs and competition (though it’s definitely doable!). 

You can't fractionalize the property, you have to condoize it.