We like to stay in control all through the process..

Hence, your goal should be staying on the first page as long as possible instead of picking up a few bookings from different places.  

Otherwise with the dwindling tech sector in SF, and the remote work (2-3 days a week) that is most likely here to stay, it just doesn't seem like a strong mid term market to me.

Ok yeah we are thinking of getting an investment property loan so we can stay in our current home.If we did the FHA route we are considering on living in the new property for 1 year and then moving back into our old one after the year is up.We are curious if we would get a more favorable rate if we borrowed from our home equity to buy the investment property.Do you have any idea if many investors borrow from their home equity to get started?  

Make sure to stay on top of things and don't trust too many people (especially the so-called experts). 

I’m curious - are you leaning toward staying local in Connecticut, or are you open to exploring oppurtunities in out-of-state markets like Phoenix?

If we stay with our high-paying jobs, we can carry the properties, but we(spouse and I) are too afraid to invest in Class B or C neighborhoods.

You need to know how to analyze property and then systematically evaluate property on a daily or weekly basis to stay on top of the market. 

There are indeed many tempting short-term investment opportunities in the market that look very attractive numerically, but their potential risks can easily lead to pitfalls.

I stay away from curtains as they can get dirty easily but I update the shades themselves to something nicer (plantation or shutter like shades or good quality roll down shades - black out in the bedroom).