Have you found more expensive insurance is simply "the nature of the beast", or is there a better way my broker and I can go about keeping costs down on that side?

 You may be able to secure higher leverage financing through alternative lenders than a traditional bank (not always the case) and this may help advance your objective of reducing the down payment/cash requirement but that may only be temporary relief as you will likely pay more over the course of the loan because of higher rates and fees.

San Diego and the surrounding areas are VERY ADU friendly so there are properties with options to add one in the back that are really starting to pop there and could be an alternative option.Take it slow.

Have you found lenders willing to provide this, or are you using alternative sources to bridge the funding gap?

Sure DSTs are more conservative in nature than syndications, but what are the statistics on their overall performance been over the last 5 years?

So the question for her to decide is do I want to continue investing my retirement in wall street or do I want to move some/all the funds into alternative assets like real estate that can far out perform the stock market.   

Agree with @Ian Ippolito 100% based on my experience in fund formation and product development in private alternatives. 

Portfolio loans, asset-based lenders, and home equity lines of credit are all alternatives to traditional borrowing.

The sponsors’ goals included “protecting naturally occurring affordable housing” from teardowns, decreasing “gentrification” and lowering property taxes for homeowners.

What is a legit alternative to Bongostays?