We are not looking to move away from Airbnb or VRBO as we realize their marketing pockets is deeper than ours and we have about 250 cobined reviews on our listings for Homeaway.Looking to give the option to travelers because we've had a lot more folks ask for direct booking to avoid the fees these sites charge; which is sometimes hundred of dollars for our units in peak season.

The California market could very possibly be peaking I wouldn't be jumping into it right now.

At the same time, it's a red flag any time someone attempts to convince me to speed up my processes by offering cash and a desire to move in immediately.

Most markets have not come back to the 2006 peak. 

Problem is the bills are so new, they are also getting up to speed along with us, and couldn’t give me a definitive answer or direction.

In theory a larger bank would be better suited (and truly regional and national banks do offer more competitive individual products at times) but to the contrary I've found my small one and two location banks having the most flexibility and speed in business, based on the trust we are able to build.I'd recommend asking around at your local REIA meeting to see if there are any pro-level investors in the room who happen to be lenders, or who invest in a similar way to you. 

Thankfully @John Warren was able to guide me and speed up the process.

If they don't know or are unwilling to get you up to speed you might look elsewhere.

I actually increased the speed of the podcasts to 1.5x to squeeze in as much as I could on my commute so I get it! 

We are currently in the process of saving for that first down-payment, which will take +/- a year to do (unless we can find a way to speed that up).