Who cares about lifetime interest costs, except to the extent you can easily lower them (refinance to a lower interest rate) to increase your cashflow.

However, San Diego is an extreme case.However rents increase fast in San Diego.  

They may have been introduced to wholesaling as a low-barrier entry into real estate and never considered licensing as a viable option.Why Getting Licensed Could Be Beneficial:Access to MLS: Licensed agents can access MLS listings, making it easier to find deals and run comps.Credibility: Being licensed can increase trust and credibility with sellers and buyers.Expanded Opportunities: As you mentioned, having a license opens up the option to list properties traditionally when wholesaling isn’t the best fit.Legal Clarity: Licensing helps clarify what you can and can’t do, reducing the risk of running into legal issues that plague unlicensed wholesalers.It’s a balancing act, but for many serious operators, getting licensed seems like a logical step to expand opportunities and ensure compliance.

We were offering $300 off first month and just recently increased the incentive to 50% off first month.

the key thing for a BRRRR is: can you increase the ARV significantly enough with the rehab?

This will increase the return above what can be obtained on a passive investment.The flipside of having the power to control everything is that it can be alot of work (and a full-time job if a person is putting in sweat equity).

So is it equally illegal when the large landlords drop rental prices in a building as vacancy increases and the market softens?

You can find SF properties that already have in law suites, garage units, etc, and now legally rent those, so it should increase the appraised value significantly.

The 401k is a valuable asset but its my thought that I can use this asset to further increase my portfolio by putting that money to better use.

We believe that we are lowering risk, increasing the average expected return, and leaving the upside unchanged.