I ask certain things certain ways to get to the meat and potatoes of if they will be a good fit and can/will pay 

That can work if your only planning on holding a property for a limited time then pass the hot potato onto the next guy, even then your resale will suffer.

Banker is thinking we aren't going to have something other than our meat and potatoes unless someone brings us a killer deal that will make us a pile of money. 45 minutes of paperwork to a banker is like nothing.

@Samia Bingham My Mentor(mutli-millionaire broker/investor)  said "If you plant tomatoes you can NOT get potatoes.  

:D Granted, not every deal works and that's part of the biz, but this was going to be my first "big" (I know it'd be small potatoes to most of you) deal and now I'm back to square one.

Otherwise we will always be playing hot potato.

You order a steak dinner, the server says it will be the best mid-rare steak you've ever had, most delicious potato, and the bread will make you cry.

If it's in an even halfway decent area in SJ I would not under estimate the appreciation value, plus you have a lower property tax base too, which is no small potatoes in CA.My philosophy is always keep decent property in the Bay Area!

Just save me some potatoes, 'k?

You probably know a lot more about how to strip down an M16 in the dark, or how to seek cover if artillery is hitting by you based on your training or experience, or you may know more about peeling potatoes than I do.