She works for a builder but in a different capacity.

Quote from @Scott Mac: Quote from @Jay Hinrichs:small commercial banks are relationship based.. they use the 3 Cs  collateral  capacity and Character but Character can be a big one with them.. they are in business to help their community.Right now today they ALL want / need deposits.. so you will want to lead with deposits not just open an account that does not mean anything.. moving in 200 to 500k in cash will get you an appointment with the senior loan officer which is the one you want to get to know and the head credit officer and hopefully the bank president ( which is usually the owner) .. thats how I have done it. and I am going on 33 years with my key commercial banker in Oregon.

Leaving those of limited capacity/options. 

.👉 Investor Tip: 3-bedroom homes are a strong balance—they offer more capacity, flexibility for longer stays, and still keep utility and maintenance costs manageable.

But for an investor to be able to control the full process is important. if we got too busy I have other builders who could build our Floorplans in our market under $200 per square foot but we maintain capacity for that exact reason.

There are some really big advantages  to having a sub to loan - like you’re not personally liable to the lender, you don’t need to qualify, the loans may not show up on your credit report, they may not affect your credit score, you may retain greater borrowing capacity as a result.  

In most counties of California, people follow the HUD recommendation of maximum capacity of 2 persons per bedroom plus 1 extra so 3 people max for a 1 bedroom apartment. 

However, you have several viable paths forward that balance your financial capacity with the goal of preserving the favorable terms as much as possible.One approach you're already exploring—using a gift of equity—is commonly used in family sales and may be the cleanest route if you’re getting a new loan.

You'll be lucky, quite honestly, to find someone good with capacity to accept you as a client.Two, the workflow CPA and accounting firms mostly use now: Very digital.

While you have real estate experience, lack of F&F will impact your borrowering capacity, but we typically see it as 75% max ARV not 60%, that seems low.