I am professional online poker player but I have had REI in consideration a few years already.

This is my 30,000 mile high in the sky overview of real estate investing.I tend to look at investing in real estate like a  high stakes poker game, especially in the Bay Area.

One of the most important rules of REI is much like poker....stay in the game.  

If the answer is no, then you are doing the same thing as buying something on sale, because it's on sale, even though you wouldn't have bought it if it wasn't on sale.To use a Poker Expression, "The name of the game, is to stay in the game".  

My local (but big city) mayor & cops just busted a Golden Girls penny ante poker game, because the stakes amounted to more than $10.  

That's true for poker, for stocks, and true for REI. 

.^^ Ditto.I'd never set myself up for failure knowing I'm signing up a short-term rental, we are averaging 5 year renters on our properties, signing up somebody knowing it would be for 7 months would be like putting hot pokers in my eyes.Just imagine the scenario of them moving out and the place is a fricken mess, you  spend a bunch of money cleaning it up and it's off the market again longer than you  plan, really a crappy situation. 

I compare REI to poker all the time, but my comparison is that the number one rule is the same for both, "you must stay in the game".

@Judah Johnsonyes I was thinking a few beers and a game of poker with my contractor and real estate agent, haha. 

I along with all my friends play poker for a living.