We have peripheral towns like Joliet, Rockford, Elgin, etc that are larger than a lot of the other Midwest towns people think are hot spots. 

People just starting out (who need the bank more than they need you) and people with high net worths and many financing options (the bank needs them more than they need the bank) are not in comparable positions.My goal is to be a force in the REI world in my area and I believe people outside of your peripheral vision are paying attention even when you think they aren't.

Although I've only been in the business a couple of years, I've been involved peripherally for about 30 years...my wife Kaye has been a REALTOR and associate broker for a long time! 

Like you, I became interested in buy and hold properties and spent too much time scouring the bay area, and peripheral areas, looking for a 1% property.  

I've worked in a technical support position for several years and can fix a and assist with Apple computers, iPads, iPhones, software, networks and peripherals.

Look further out in peripheral markets or find properties that have serious problems that you have the skillset to remedy is what a lot of other investors including the institutional outfits are doing so as the small guys we have to be willing to go further out or take on bigger problems... or be patient.

How about Peripheral Bay Area markets like Tracy, Livermore, Hayward Hills, or even Sacramento?

I usually eliminate loans where the CLTV is greater than 140%-150%.However, in telling the borrower’s story, I do look “peripherally” at all the other fields to see if I absolutely should delete the loan based on CLTV.

The real beauty of property management is that all of your clients are real estate investors and that leads to all sorts of peripheral business.

Hats off to tech and research for bringing a lot of new life to the area.I know that new home sales in greater Allegheny County have been moving much quicker since the housing market regained its feet, and seem to be turning over with a lot of force, so it's likely that neighborhoods peripheral to ones that are currently revitalizing might themselves undergo a bit of a renaissance not far down the line.