Investment Property in Bay Area in Hayward

[Romil S.]

Hi Everyone,

New member here :) I am interested in investing in real estate in bay area. This will be my first investment property. Thinking of SFH (Single Family Home), as HOA regulations in some places restrict the use of property for rental purposes, which defeats the purpose of investing.

2 Areas that I can think of are Hayward and Livermore. I am capping my budget at 650-675k for closing a house . I have roughly around 300k saved up and putting that for downpayment for a SFH in those areas would mean having rest of amount in loan. ( 350-400k)

Question : 

1) Are both areas worth the investment?

2) Which one is better? and Why?

3) Pros / Cons of each area

Livermore has decent schools but it seems far away, so unsure about rent income potential. Hayward historically has pockets with high crime rate and bad school rating. This leaves me in very confused state in initial research. Looking for some input and suggestions. Thanks.