Those who do that are like a horse with blinders on, passing up things they can't see.RE is hard enough to do without passing up potential deals just because you don't know the business.

I’ll keep slowly buying over time and ride it out in areas that have low supply and growing populations.

Bay Area real estate is quite forgiving over the long run if you can ride out the storm.Assuming you put 20% down, that's about $2,500/mo in appreciation or 24% ROI annually.  

SFR's are owned by homeowners.. this is why you see all these post about how West coast properties don't cash flow.. its because they are owner occ generally..You set me down I Georgetown TN which is generally owner occ and those houses won't cash flow any better than our west coast SFR's its because of the renter vs owner demographic.The reality is the horse is out of the barn... these areas that provide cash flow rentals are and for ever more will be rental areas..

Unless you have information that the rest of us don't, I think that conservatively buying detached property that produces reasonable cash flow is the way to go in this market, and short of some fundamental shift in the ecoonomics and desirability of this city, I can't see most buyers looking back in 10 years wishing that they had bought elsewhere.Second, with regards to attached houses (think condos), it's my opinion that current owners are riding a bubble.

And there's an old saying in sales, "you can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink."

Getting on post during PT is a nightmare. 15min ride turns into a 30min ride.2.

Re Changing walls, I'm not sure that's the plan yet -- that's why I want to consult with a designer/architect first -- so I think getting a structural engineer and getting permits might be a little cart before the horse at this point.  

My new business is my "retirement plan", so I have a lot riding on this being successful. 😉  I'm excited about this new venture and networking with you all.

Rate hikes of .25-.50% really start moving the needle in terms of high-end homes payment cost. http://www.businessinsider.com/housing-starts-and-...I think we will see this as a roller coaster ride as rates climb every few months or so.