For the duplex, would you consider it to be in a high quality (A), medium (B), or low (C) neighborhood?

We have an opportunity coming up from a family member who is willing to sell us my childhood home for what they got it for (240k) and the comps in that neighborhood are 600k+.

The low down payment house hack is the way to go.

Our logical process:1) Use Neighborhood rankings to narrow down area of city you want to invest in2) Focus on getting to know that Neighborhood(s), so you know the good & bad streets, block-by-block.3) Be patient to acquire properties on good streets that meet your buying criteria.Our rankings are done with a "bell curve" approach.

This is not a market for a generic, new build, cookie cutter home in an HOA neighborhood!

I would assume the % of man made fires caused by Arson is pretty darn low though.

Many realtors are not going to work in low value asset areas as those are generally rougher neighborhoods that are probably deemed to unsafe especially for a single women agent to be out there.

If you want real rental history for your specific neighborhood and data points on appreciation of your area specifically, let me know.

Low risk investments sell at a premium, that's the whole idea of cap rates.

We're willing to live almost anywhere in the greater Sacramento area based on what we can afford, provided of course that the property is in a decent neighborhood that has a good chance of attracting responsible tenants.As for budget, I believe we could get a conventional loan for properties up to $600k, but my strong preference is to find a distressed property (or seller!)