Then I cant get that back out of the construction loan in the first draw but the loan cant be approved until short plat is approved and I cant get the short plat approved until the bond is up (nice catch 22).

I have found that the short term rental permit from the City of Sacramento runs nearly $3,500 per unit, and takes several months to be heard at a public hearing for approval, with the risk of rejection.

He/she can look up title details and figure out the current allowed use and what would be required to get the zoning approval you ultimately want. 

After that you can convert it to a rental without requesting anyone's approval or doing any mortgage paperwork.

Next you want to check with the city or county to determine if you can do what you want to do and what is required for all zoning approvals and the time frame. 

I've heard that pre-approval is important, but I wanted to see what some other thoughts are out there.  

Hard money lender with pretty easy approvals.

First, ensure your credit score is up to par to receive your pre approval.

We have been approved for 650,000 but unless it has a second unit that can help pay down the mortgage we don't want to pay more than about 2500 a month so around 400,000 has been our price point.My wife and I got pre-approved for a VA loan a month ago and have been working with an Agent from Redfin.

Not all lenders require employment and income to be approved for a loan.