I think majority of those that are displaced will likely find homes in the surrounding communities in CA (I’m sure some local CA experts have better insight).

Find someone in the neighborhood of your building to help you out.

Narrowing down the options will probably come down to comps and city/neighborhood specifics; things like permits.Any good suggestions for finding out how long permits are taking in certain areas?

It does not matter if you find the single best market in the US.

If you can come in and operate effectively I think you'll find success rather quickly due to that.BTW - for a property management platform I would highly recommend Buildium.

It is much easier to find HELOCS for your primary residence, but some lenders will do a HELOC on a investment property as well 

I fairly positive that wont work, i have read that contacting mortgage brokers is the best way to go if you can find one.

Is it public record that I can find online?

do you guys post off market deals on there/is there a better place to find be off market deals in Canton rather than Craigslist or marketplace? 

Happy to find it again and hope to contribute, as I have some rental properties now and 15 years under my belt dealing with that.