Marin is a phenomenal place to build equity, and eventually use that equity to create cash flow. 

But it’s clear you’re a smart investor who knows the long-term benefits real estate can bring.I keep reminding myself why I stick with real estate: you can make money every month in four different ways:Cash Flow – Passive income to live on.Appreciation – Long-term property value growth.Depreciation – Tax benefits that reduce your taxable income.Tenants Paying Down the Mortgage – Even if you’re paid off now, this is one of the biggest wealth-building tools for leveraged properties.It sounds like your main struggle is the stress of active management—and trust me, you’re not alone.

Based upon the cost seg studies of my clients, a building will typically yield 25-30% of the total cost that can be segregated into personal property and land improvements.

The key is building systems and finding solid property management to handle things while you move around.

Fair enough, I have partial ownership of a commercial (apartment) building in the Bay Area and I would estimate it as a Class A- to maybe Class B - great location, great tenants, nice amenities (not high end like gym, new pool, community room with big screen TVs, etc), high rents, but building is older (built in 1950s).One investor I saw post that they look at where Starbucks and Costcos are opening and possibly factor that into looking at different markets.

I am looking to network and build a strong business relationship with a local real estate agent.

If you are just looking to network I would go the route of meetups locally (you can check above at the toolbar, hoover over forums then to the right you have events and meetups.If you are looking to wholesale and build a list of buyers that fix and flip for deals you may have then I would pull lists from 3rd party sites like Property Radar or propstream.

Build-to-Rent (BTR): A Steady Income StreamWith homeownership becoming less attainable for many, build-to-rent properties are in high demand.

I went from a W2 job to building a portfolio of 500+ units over the last 5 years by starting small and scaling smart.

If the local market is healthy and rental income will be adequately managed by a property manager, then a long term residence could be used to build equity.