But if you do buy with an HOA make sure NO RENT RISTRICTIONS.I strongly suggest avoid a condo (horizonal stacked up maybe an elevator).  

I suppose it depends on your time horizon, right? 

I'm helping a BP couple search for a property to STR and, having spoken to at least 10 HOA reps in the last week, those restrictions range from a 30-day minimum to a 6-month minimum.But with these regulations on the horizon, the thought that buying in a hon-HOA neighborhood (mostly SFHs) gives you the freedom to STR on a nightly basis is under threat.There are many active Airbnbs right now in condo complexes across Arizona that have restrictions the owners are simply ignoring.

There is certainly a lot of interesting thought leadership around how to reposition dead malls and lifestyle centers:https://www.cnu.org/publicsqua...https://knowledgestage.uli.org...Here are some key considerations if your strategy is to invest in depressed retail assets:Market Fundamentals:  Did the property lose tenants because of macro-trends affecting retail (e.g. category disruptions in apparel, department stores, big boxes, etc) or are the fundamentals of the local market weak (e.g. declining populations, stagnant economy, high unemployment, lowering HHIs, etc) — if it’s the latter, then you should investigate potential growth drivers for that market and the time horizon for them to come to fruition.Zoning: Is the property zoned for your intended re-use?  

But to add a little more color here, because I'll be investing out of state, and with it being my first investment, I am willing to give up some cash flow for a "safer" neighborhood/deal - I'm attempting to simply "get on base" as opposed to "hit a home run" in my first at bat.I have identified Denver as a market I'm interested in based on long-term macro economic factors, so while I recognize that it's already pretty expensive, my time-horizon is 20-30 years, which should still yield good investments. 

@Minna Folkman house hacking is a great way to go in the Bay Area, especially if you have a long time horizon.

A brief background on me: I'm 21 years old and own a pressure washing company here in Greenville, South Carolina and am looking to expand my horizons into the real estate industry by starting with wholesaling.1.

We anticipated that a market correction was on the horizon but nothing like this.

Hey @Jim Rusco, also take some time and find out of there are any special assessments on the horizon.

@Mike Bianchi , over what time horizon?