I have $25K cash for a down payment and can add $20K/year ($1,600/month) toward payments.No W2s, I've looked into building a small home right away and using a bank statements loan (have about 8800. monthly income) , but with 9%+ interest rates, it’s beyond my budget.Is there any sort of creative financing ideas possible or private lender possibilities?

Limited inventory typically drives up prices for both rent and equity, as high demand meets low supply.

Easier to predict expenses - typically no major repairs unless from association3.

BoA is fine for this sort of setup.. but consider a local credit union in San Diego for lower fees and simpler sub-accounts from what I’ve heard.

The time, effort and amount you will save is typically inconsequential.

Yes I understand what you are noting, and I believe on the commercial side of things they are typically not putting their names on the docs like you do for a resi loan but just brokering/underwriting it and collecting a fee as a 1099.

The latter part of my post was referring to the protection of the account, not the assets through funding but the cash left on-hand.I think because banks are or were typically used for ck, savings, etc, I never looked to them as offering IRA/SDIRA.When I opened my account (2018) it was with specifics in mind and now I am reevaluating.

In his experience, Memphis’s higher-than-typical rent-to-price ratio sounded great in theory, but property management turned out to be a huge factor-especially if you’re not local.

Typically you aren't buying a fixer upper with a conventional loan.

My goal is to stabilize, refinance within 3-5 years, and offer strong returns to lenders.Your point about targeting SDIRA investors and high earners is interesting—how do you typically find and connect with these types of lenders?