Help me please and thank you

[Sergio Diaz]

I'm just beginning on buying a house out here in Bakersfield ca , and I have about 10,000 dollars for a down payment on a house . I just don't know wether if I should go big on a 350,000 dollar house or if I should start small on a decent 200,000 dollar house . I'm ready to settle for a long term on both of them but I'm also ready to flip and rent the houses with out looking back . I'm also willing to take the risk and the time for either one , I would just really appreciate the suggestions from you wonderful people . Thank you so much .

[Max Gradowitz]

I practice real estate in Bakersfield and most of my clients are investors.  It really depends on whether you want the house purely for yourself, or if you want to make it a rental property later.  If you want it purely for yourself, the difference between $350k and $200k will be big in terms of neighborhoods, square footage, and amenities.  I'd say it's worth it to go on the upper end of that range for yourself, assuming your lender has told you that you do in fact qualify for up to $350k.

If you want to rent it out later, it's best to stick to the lower end of that price range.  Most of my investor clients buy rental properties in the "sweet spot" for single family home rentals, which seems to be in the $150k to $250k range.  Anything over $300k will be a really nice house but there is less cash flow and it will likely make a less desirable rental for several reasons.  Feel free to PM me if you'd like more details.  That being said, I know people that rent out pricey homes sometimes, I'm just telling you what I generally see.