Not sure if your property is in that area as you are a bit West.

I've invested in two of the properties going into the fund and two others.

Purchase price: $420,000 Cash invested: $120,000 5 bedroom 2 bath property with pool, shed and playground in the backyard.

Another thing to add is the regulations, HOAs and Cities are imposing a lot of regulation on short-term rentals or rent by a room, I have seen some HOAs regulate the amount of people authorized to rent the property too.It requires to do a lot of due dilligence to begin with mainly in such big house. 

He owned property in San Jose but in DC he rented for 3+ years.

I am planning to offer an equity position to a friend in a property I am currently in the process of refinancing.

And the hardest part of all this is finding sufficient labor to rehab/manage the property. 

You could do things like outdoor speakers, waterfalls, etc.Visually, unless you are in an HOA or other restrictions, maybe you can hedge the backyard for added privacy.The goal for most people is to keep the property, not sell.

Contact my friends at HomeHop Property Management. www.homehoppm.comTalk to Dan, they have a in house designer, who you can hire. 

Quote from @Lee Banks: Hi my name is Lee I'm looking too buy my first rental property and but I feel as if I need a mentor to watch, I still need to learn the basics of real-estate does anyone in New York do programs or mentorships and where would you start if you first started real-estate today  Hello Lee,I'd recommend looking up local meetups here on BP, meetup.com and, eventbrite.You can also call around to speak with RE investors and professionals in your target market to begin making connections.With so much available information online, I'd recommend speaking to a few people and doing independent research before committing to mentorships.