The last time we had this leadership, interest rates were a lot better, no?

Hopefully, this is a useful example of what’s achievable with out-of-state investing, even with no local connections. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to collect and some landlords will keep any unpaid utilities out of the security deposit, though CA is one of the trickier states to do this in.

@Anca R. no I'm saying the opposite.

House has been on the market for many months and no takers.

I have no experience this is my first time buying a home so I decided I wanted to build instead. 

While they might not be the cheapest - no HM lender is "cheap" - they do a good job at what they do.

We are now suing them in TX small claims court as the security deposit was not enough to cover the 2 - 3 months rent after they trashed the house. 

In other words, not resold to the government so the bank had more flexibility on the condition.I look at the original commitment letter and it states "xxx amount will be advanced at closing for the purchase of an investment property, and the remaining balance of the loan to be placed into an escrow account to be disbursed as improvements are made".No points, and only one closing, so I don't have to deal with a short term HML that I have to refinance in under a year.Hope that helps!

If you have no facts, then yes an appraisal can be your ticket, but also keep in mind how your state manages assessed values.