Saving over 1% changes my answer.Just separate out pre-paids to get to the true closing costs and select the least expensive.My opinion is to support local banks if I can. 

Research each place to see which are growing and appear to have the jobs moving there to support that growth as well.

Also this is not specific in the CA income discussion, but generally any loan qualification can/will exclude income that is within 6 months of ending (child support, alimony etc).

There wasn't enough support and I needed more at the time.

I appreciate any support. 

$500k at 4% is only $2400/mo so plenty left to pay for insurance/property tax and still be self supporting. 

Unfortunately the building I bought in does not support STR but I still think its a solid play as a regular long term rental.

You should definitely avoid doing anything that gives a hint of discrimination particularly during these times when the government is much more supportive of the tenant than the landlord.  

Good tenants are the result of:Targeting the right tenant poolSelecting the right propertyA skilled property managerHow do you determine the right tenant pool that will support your financial goals?

@Daniel Correia Thanks for the support!