If we're cash flowing at 8% annually we're already matching the market, if not outperforming when you consider the up and down nature of stock markets.

Since mortgage interest rates compound on a daily computation, your actual basis for comparison is actually between 5.5-5.6%, which most real estate investments will outperform (you make money in 3 ways from real estate: appreciation, depreciation on a 30 year schedule, and cash flows).

Congrats, the property you "overpaid" according to some generic metric now out performs same metric with your improvments. 

As an investor I can only hope that boots on the ground can outperform the digitization of the industry.

I don’t see things getting better anytime soon as if you look at economic trends interest rates are stabilized for the time being, we are seeing increased job losses and inflation outperforming wages which eventually will cause more pain.Ie: things are getting worse before they get better

Historically stocks out perform RE averages - always have and probably always will.

I personally hire a home staging company on higher end property's especially if I have a kick-*** home that we want to "out perform" the market on.

Good areas, good houses, and good tenants will always outperform on paper "cash cows"

If history is any indication, the appreciation and future cash flow of your Bay Area Real Estate will outperform the $2k/mo initial cash flow from your OOS investments. 

As I progressed I spent more time networking and have learnedthat networking and collaboration not competition will out perform your best marketing plan.