If you value simplicity and consistent income over high appreciation potential, this might align well with your goals.

How long is left on their lease?

To align with community property laws and avoid legal or financial complications, consider forming a jointly owned LLC with your wife as a member.

This is consistent with data from sources like Zillow, Redfin, and the local Santa Barbara Association of Realtors.However, when I go to "Pick Markets" and select Santa Barbara, the median home price listed is $620,000, which doesn’t align with what I’ve observed locally.

This aligns with your financial situation and helps mitigate risks associated with high debt-to-income ratios.

If you are in a higher asset class many deny on credit score which usually is not seen as income discrimination which is also fair but there are actually a couple left leaning areas where credit score rating can be seen as illegally discriminatory which is ridiculous.  

However, I’ve found that these strategies don’t seem to align with the current real estate market in my country, Pakistan, particularly in Karachi.Here’s an example:A typical 120-square-yard house with 4 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms costs around 106,000k ($270-$300 Rent per month).

That said, my last Booking.com guest a couple of weeks ago was a bit difficult pre-arrival but ended up being a great guest and left a 10 star review (no comments though).  

For your next steps, focus on identifying areas in Northeastern PA with strong rental demand and property values that align with your cash flow goals.

The Left must resist the urge to “help” with short-sighted, counter-productive policies like rent control.