My preference was to stay away from Snow and invest in warmer weather market but some investors prefer a 2 hour drive rather than a 2 hour flight..

You will likely be able to weather any downturns if you keep the units rented.

School year, Holiday's, and Colder weather slows things down.When I help with deal evaluation, I considerRents to be the lowest number reasonable to get the home rented if I hit the market the first of Dec (very slow time of year for most markets.)Prepare for a lower appraisal than you might think.

It was interesting and took 4 weeks longer due to crazy weather but we sold in 2 days 4k over asking!

Just wanted your guys opinions on this and weather or not this is a real concern.

I am looking at the 2019 forecast in the Berkadia Report and it is showing a POSITIVE relationship between those two variables.

; (8) population growth in target demographic; (9) foreclosure rates; (10) weather (the more extreme, the more costly maintenance will be- am I right?)

You could contribute enough to get the match, let's say 4% from you and your employer (8% total contributions), but your 401k loses 6% one year, resulting in growth of only 2%.During a good year, maybe it grows by 16% (=8% investment gain on your 4% contribution and 4% match).Alternatively, you could keep the entire 401k account in cash (not invested in any securities) and let it grow at the matching rate, guaranteed like a CD.If you forecast out to retirement, based on what you plan to contribute, do you anticipate that your 401k will be your primary source of retirement income? 

Background - From Southern California, where the weather is great and the price of real estate is not-so-great.

While the bay area is beautiful and the weather is great, the density is getting worse by the minute.