B ham is probably hovering close to 200k  by at the number or higher regardless of how the numbers flush.. this will generally get you were you have owner occ homes and better schools. in a city like B ham ( and I owned 50 rentals there at one time in the past) Schools are uber important in the deep  south.

If your plan is to operate an STR in CA, it is best to have a plan B in case the STR option is no longer available.Good luck

I do think that the B or better zip codes area a great place to start.

@Jeff B. would that apply to loans against your own retirement as well?

An attorney is more important in Illinois than other states, b/c IL is special ;)

I don't even agree with cashing out equity on Property A so you can qualify for a loan on Property B.

I just got $900 for a 1 br in the hood and $1700 in a C-B area!

What you need to do is read the question - then flip back immediately to the right answer page - see the answer (say it's B) - go back to the question and ONLY read B.

I am for sure biased but I would highly suggest using a real estate agent that is a) familiar with that community b) is well versed in selling to non-Mexican citizens and c) has stellar reviews.

Here's how I do my due diligence:1) Portfolio matching: (takes 30 seconds per deal)a) Have an educated opinion on where I think we are in the real estate cycles (financial and physical market cycles)b) Then and only then do I pick the strategies, capital stack, and specialized asset subclasses that make sense for that opinion.