.* rent it - to cover all expenses; not looking for cash-flow* this is more for experience and confidence building* this is a buy-and-hold, not a flip - house is newer built (2000+)Now I know that only after finding a home and looking at everything like P+I, expenses, taxes, and rental income will someone truly be able to assert if its a "good deal" but I am more interested to know if this strategy to start out makes sense and it would be nice to hear from some folks who have done this so i know how they felt about it as they got more into investing.thank you!

I have no idea why you assert they are more difficult to sell. 

I know the hunger you feel, as you want to take control of your financial future, and I support that assertion.  

And, if in the past you have set a pattern of repeatedly accepting late payments, the tenant may assert in court that this practice effectively established an agreement to a new, later, due date than whatever it may say on the lease or written Tenancy At Will. 

Within said law, consist of preconditions for a tenant to assert a rent escrow action. 1 precondition is that a tenant not have "more than 2 judgements if they have been living in a property for less than 6 months or more than 4 judgements in the previous 12 months".....the judge in the above action dismissed based on having "3 judgements in the last 12 months"...which is not the law and she juat made up.

;)And, Account Closed, (David too), I'm intrigued by your assertions.  

I've seen several posts online where people assert what you are saying, but I've never seen it backed up with references to statutes or case law.  

Estoppel may arise when one person gives a warning to another based on some clearly asserted facts or legal principle, and the other does not respond within "a reasonable period of time".

The tenant could find themselves on the losing end of a lawsuit and the landlord might assert they lost the house because of the tenant's failure to pay.

I would blindly assert that there is at least one area of California waiting to be invested in, given the mere size of the state.