The people that make decisions at banks are hourly and salaried employees whose compensation is not directly tied to the performance of any one asset.

In your shoes, I would be asking a few questions:If I rented the home exclusively to college students, would the numbers be in line with house-hacking to random tenants? 

If the property was an actual good deal, it would have been snapped right up from the MLS.Your third is (and I'm speculating here) is that you have, as you've said, an on-market property tied up under contract. 

@David Haynes,I live by 1 golden rule-- only take advice by people who you would happily trade shoes with! 

Really try and dig in and put yourself in the investor’s shoes, because one day you will be in those shoes.

I don't want to put more than 20% down since I don't want to tie up money. 

Some places require they be tied together.

@Daaimah BrownAre your friends in the same shoes as you...? 

I'm currently tied up in a fix/flip and don't have time/resources to make this happen today.

It also appears to be dependent on the sender & receiver's banks being tied into the Zelle service - some banks offer it but others don't.