Trump doesn't control them, but he's going to try everything he can to bring mortgage rates down.

Offer to pay them off in 5-10 years at a higher interest rate.

Consider house hacking when rates and prices are a little more balanced with reality.

I goal is to find a market that has good appreciation rate with good to decent cashflow but out of the two appreciation matters more to me.

Option 1: The loan that the owner has is an assumable loan at a 3.875% rate and still has about $265K.

Depending on the lender (bank or alt. lender) you have to look at origination fees....points, doc prep, interest rate, frequency draws are allowed/min. draw amount allowed per request, interest payments vs. interest reserve & whether interest reserve is capitalized to fully understand the true cash requirements.

I was talking to a RE friend.He said it's a bad time to buy* rates are high* homes are expensive in most marketsLooking to hear some counterpoints. 

Full disclosure, I have not purchased in San Diego since Dec 2021 (shortly before rates rose).  

I was one of the lucky ones who bought a house during covid and got the best price and the absolute best interest rate... so, I'm never letting this house go! 

I would search for a property that has a low interest rate Fha or VA loan.