For appreciating CA properties this could easily be a 7 digit step up in value but i would think in all CA markets would be significant.  

Consider a market that you visit often, have family in, went to college at, spent time in the past.You will have a better sense of what the good / bad parts of town are compared to a city you never visited.Best of Luck!

Quote from @Gamal Harding: Anduril Industries' Expansion to Columbus: A Transformative Move for Real Estate InvestorsAnduril Industries, a prominent defense technology company based in Costa Mesa, California, has announced plans to establish a new manufacturing facility in Pickaway County, near Rickenbacker International Airport.

Also keep in mind when I started funding investment rentals in 2002 for CA investors 100.00 a month cash flow was the goal and accepted.. and even break even or a little negative was fully acceptable in markets with historic appreciation..

A significant number of my clients are from out of state, including many from Washington State and California.

Homes are affordable and we're seeing homebuyers enter the market with a lot of assistance available from the city.I’ve been investing in Detroit since 2019 while living in California and own 12 doors.

There is an abnormally low amount of new construction occurring on the coast in comparison to the demand and the existing inventory can be quite dated, especially for those coming from areas like California.

Want an excuse to visit my son there.

If an in-person visit is not feasible, we can easily arrange video tours to accommodate your schedule.

The condo I'm selling in CA could sell for approximately $600k, and I was thinking of rolling that into 2 condo/townhomes valued at about $250k each, then doing DST for the remaining around $100 for the 1031.