I had a great time in the stints I've spent there, but the place always managed to empty my wallet.

And then, in the coastal cities, you already have high rent, so what will their wallets bear? 

Also, Amazon has good deals for cabinet and door hardware.

There are some excellent deals in stockton, manteca, Tracy for entry level, new or very experienced investor willing to drive a little extra and have a bigger wallet, for what you can buy in bay area, you may buy an entire apartment complex or multi-family.  

If they are not interested in paying for an alarm system, we would keep all the hardware where it's at just make sure they understand it is not activated.What are your thoughts and standard procedure when you encounter this?

I'm 23, in college, and have worked at a local hardware store going on 7 years now.

Joshua Dorkin I read about this company somewhere online a few months ago and I found their service very interesting being I work at a hardware store and duplicate keys for customers all the time.

I like using my local cabinet shop where i know the  owner he appreciates the business and we get great service since we buy 10 to 15 sets a year in the one market..I know in MS I see the guys here build the cabinets on site... even in higher end and use very cheap hardware.. we use soft pulls on upgraded hardware always...

Let me list what you may have to update, fix, or replace:1) Roof2) Paint (inside, maybe exterior too)3) Garbage Disposal4) Carpet5) Hardwood refinishing6) Ceiling Fans/Fixtures7) Garage Opener8) Door Sweeps and weather stripping9) Countertops depending on material and abuse 10) Cabinet hardware, touch up if they are nicked, scratched11) Appliances (plus repairs when they come up)12) Drains may clog13) Periodic Caulking inside and out14) Possible gutter cleaning15) Air Conditioning and/or heating system16) Pest Control17) Turnover Costs between tenants (power, water, time expenses, handyman expenses, cleaning crew potentially18) Bathroom Exhaust Vents19) Electrical Outlets sometimes have connections burn off (repair expense)20) lock changes between tenants21) Updating of unit to keep it marketable22) all others as this list is not all inclusive.

The standard WH insulating blankets which are commonly sold in plumbing and hard ware stores are maybe 1" fiberglass with a vinyl jacket.