A good broker will be able to interview you and originate your loan for the HML that meshes best with your situation.Going directly to a lender can be a great idea although being tied to one lender means they can only lend based on their limited parameters. 

I think I should continue growing my SFH portfolio and hire property management as I am getting tied on time to manage them.

If there are more capital gains then you can do a 1031 exchange with the remaining portion.   

Perhaps suggest escrowing the remaining construction funds at no cost to you if this is not already in your agreement???

We own two properties:-Our primary residence: $345K left on mortgage (about 28 years remaining since we refi'd 2019).

While days on market are remaining short, our inventory is slowly picking up.

I have seen NARPM reports claiming the percentage of non-paying tenants has remained steady, which may be true, but the amount each renter owes is probably significantly higher.

I don't love the idea of tying up all my liquidity in an expensive SFH, but the Bay Area is a fairly high appreciation area. 

Smaller homes the repair bills remain the same and capex will not be significantly lower. 

I don't manage others' portfolios, but what I'm seeing with my own rentals, as well as on the sales side, is that the demand has remained.