But a recession does not equal a housing crash.

You might even see some short selling again ala the housing crash a decade ago.

I'm in SoCal so would love to be inspired by some post-2008 crash deals

As a 23-year-old newbie investor looking for his first investment property and who has never felt the impact of a market crash or recession before (except when my parents cut down our expenses during the 2008 crisis), I'm unsure if I should be taking action or not. 

Flying blind is not a wise nor a sustainable strategy: Eventually you are going to crash into a mountain!

Fix and flippers that I know are scared and trying to “time” the market and choosing to wait as they think anyday the crash may come and in their mind.

I know a lot of people say that the house market won't crash but the proof is in the pudding with this. 

Hence why everyone is expecting a real estate crash coming soon. 

The market is showing no signs of a “crash and burn” 2008 scenario here but rather a pent up demand for housing as we wait for the economy to return to normalcy.

Based on what happened here back in 2008-2009 I don't see it crashing that much, we still have a ton of people flowing in due to the city's affordability, but I'm curious to hear everyone else's opinion.