That may not be a good comparison because a city can't really fail as spectacularly as a company' stock, but you get the idea. 

@Jason L.Be aware that your comparison is not quite apples to apples.

With all details in hand, there still never seems to be a true apples to apples comparison on which plan is “better”.

NOI is always a heavy component when deriving a value based on a sales comparison approach or income capitalization approach.

It seems like a apples to oranges comparison in a lot of ways to me. 

(*** that)" has got to be the best thing I've seen all year bahahahahahahahahaahahahahaahahahasoiahfojsndflksdmfskdfmFor those of you not in the know, Oak Park is one of Sacramento's most contentious neighborhoods as of the past few years, and the extreme discount afforded in comparison to Midtown and East Sac and the ever-growing UC Davis Med Center have brought in a new, "hip" young crowd and driven up the demand like crazy.The price to buy a home Oak Park has risen 10 percent in the last year alone.

An "average" rent won't help you much.Try RentRange or see what you can find on Craigs List for comparison.

Financing:Financing is also similar, the only difference in comparison to out of state investing is that you will not find a lot of seller financing in the area.

I would like to stay on the eastern half of the country, and I would also like to include beach areas (Vs. inland such as TN) as a comparison. 

Your options are different if you buy it in your own name vs. an LLC.I like credit unions, because they are member owned (in comparison to private or publicly owned) and often have lower fees.