Are you located in Santa Maria?

Maria Dennon thanks for the tip.

Thank you @Maria Walker for the advice!!!

Thanks Maria,The core issue I was trying to get at is that properties in the Bay Area generally don't cash flow well (as opposed to other markets, e.g., the Midwest).Given the cost of owning a property here, is it net-net better to just rent, or buy a multi-family and live in 1 unit (i.e., house-hack)?

@Maria Marrero , I bought a Homepath foreclosure that I intended to flip.

The very first property I ever bought belonged to a widow whose husband previously took care of the property, a duplex.

Where there are widows to be fleeced...

@Maria BocanegraThere are a few videos on Youtube that talk about doing walk-throughs. 

To be honest I haven't approached him yet, however he is actually my neighbor and he is a widowed retiree who is looking to sell and has been for awhile.

Thank you also @Maria Flowers, I'll reach out to Jeff!