The added advantage of working downtown and not paying inflated rent by living in my investment may make it worthwhile to me.

so day after day I ask myself when I'm going to "retire" or go full time real estate. right now my answer seems to be in the mid 30s but sometimes I think what if I do it sooner. sometimes I wonder if I should push it out cause of my inflated lifestyle.

What i would like to know is how increasing vacancies in a class A apts effects b and c properties.Also have to remember we are in year 10 of artificially low interest rates, and this financial engineering is INTENDED to rev the stock market and inflate asset values.And the next logical question is what happens as interest rates go up?

What I don't like about this approach is the management company would give the job to it's favored contractor, you lose control, cost is inflated, and collectively you all have no control over the cost.

It's simple inflation.

The home value is swallowed entirely by the inflation.

In my opinion, duplexes (small multi-family) are quickly becoming inflated in Lubbock.There are several new ones coming on the market near he areas you mentioned.

Prices are inflated and there's less opportunity. 

Oakland is gentrifying and rent control or liberal politics (like 'em or hate 'em) won't stop that trend...it's just a matter who's making the money.I hear what the out of state crowd is saying, but (caution - incoming anecdotal evidence) my buddy has bought other people's midwest fix and flips with no chance for forced appreciation (in fact the building depreciates over time as housing values remain flat factoring inflation), Lower Cap rate and greater risk than I experienced house hacking. 

However maybe that because SFR is so inflated right now that condos are the way to go.