Alternative would be non-QM where if rents cover PITI then the loan is approved, minimal doc requirements (credit report, appraisal, bank/asset statements, lease agreement, few others) but your rates are non-QM (6 to 9%). 

Another alternative it to try to find someone in the Central Valley or south of Gilroy.

Get that education about alternative ways to finance, then use that information to make deals that work for the seller and you!

@Jaysen Medhurst thank you for your advice, any suggestions for alternative financing options

I’m using cozy for now but looking for an alternate payment method.  

Would it make more sense to: Purposely forgo legal tax write offs to show higher income and then more easily qualify for conventional financing, at lower rates and better terms ORKeep taxes as low as legally possible and seek alternative funding via private or hard money, typically at much higher rates ORIs there a 3rd alternative I'm not thinking about... like credit unionsWould greatly appreciate to get your perspective on this.  

An alternative is to employ site-specific engineering, where you get a structural engineer to sample the soil to determine the force of the freeze, and then size the beams and bolt systems to accommodate that particular scenario. 

With home ownership out of reach for the middle class in Los Angeles and rental costs skyrocketing, I think people would be interested in alternative solutions.The community I was thinking about involves a combination of manufactured homes and mobile homes (tiny homes and RVs). 

This implies you cannot simply find an RE on the MLS that will have positive cash flow.So look at alternatives.

One alternative to that would be to offer "Cash for Keys" where you offer an incentive for the tenant to move out before the term ends.