I hope we can reach a solution and I can post a successful ending to this journey.

IMO: Unless you can find a creative solution around that, it's better to save up for the down payment to avoid the PMI. 

@Joshua Dorkin@Mindy JensenYou will undoubtedly be happier once next week comes and I have things to occupy my time again :-)As much as I enjoy BP, there is one thing issue which has been an ongoing inconvenience to which I have a personal solution, but not a good one.As happens to all of us, we often see similar questions raised by new members ... or members who are venturing into new areas of investing ... to which we know that either we - or in my case, most likely someone else - have already provided a long and detailed explanation.  

You are 100X ahead of most people in identifying what you are trying to accomplish (and reading good text that helps you shape a strategy for solving it).As others have mentioned, one of the best solutions to the affordability issue in the Bay Area is house hacking.

At the very least, a new line of credit is going to provide a small hit to your credit score and they may have an alternative solution or the refi may not be necessary at all to qualify.

Seemed like a pretty slick solution at the time.

He requires a minimum credit score of 625 and 20% into the deal, plus 6 months in reserve and the ability to make monthly payments.For the right investor those terms are a great fit, for the investor that doesn't meet those terms we provide a great solution that allows that investor to still get into investing.

My number one goal is to help find a solution to a sellers problem before my own interests in a property .

It'd cost less than $50 for this solution, which should be easily absorbed by prompt rent payments.

Short sale is not a quick solution.