Even that can be difficult, in my opinion, as it requires you get gross rents of about $1700/month, which is pretty high for many areas of the country, including yours I would wager.  

It’s a wager on the gentrification momentum continuing its inexorable progress, as people who are getting priced out of the safe parts of Oakland want: a) safety, b) BART station and c) a modern house.We found a lender who will finance the costs of construction (100%!)

We have two options, parlay this into another local REI meeting which we have three to choose from.

The local REIA is meeting May 24 @ 6:00pm at the downtown library, with a get together at Parlay Social afterwards.

Private sellers i'd wager it could make a difference but asset managers don't care too much beyond 10%

The best answer is to cultivate one or more of those skills, and then parlay that into worthwhile investments.

My goal is to parlay the money into investments that 1) are reasonably stable while 2) providing good cashflow and 3) begin to build a more thoughtful/strategic and lucrative REI portfolio. 

Great thinking outside of the box parlaying a "free" throw in into a cashflow cow.    

I'm lucky to have made some good money at my last startup, so I'm hoping to parlay that into a real estate business and avoid the city lifestyle.When I'm not working, I enjoy riding my horse, flying planes and working on my house.

I'd wager you're better off forcing yourself to be involved in the scheduling and the process.