[quote=new to SD] . . . I completely own that I followed the loan agreement and own the fact that I deserve a drop in my FICO[/quote]
You’re damned straight you do.
new to SD, you seem to be able to save money these days at a pretty rapid clip. Why don’t you just wait another 3-4 years until you have the funds to make all-cash offers instead of trying to borrow someone else’s (very expensive to you) money.
In doing so, your odds will increase exponentially that you will actually be able to consummate a successful deal, given that your three “choice” areas you aspire to shop in are among the highest-priced and most coveted areas to live in SD County 🙂