ALL RE is cyclic and Calif is typically an 8-9 cycle, especially in the most desirable areas like SF Bay area, Orange County.  2008 was a major down turn due to the mortgage industry collapse, not true property values. 

Also the better you (or a trusted contractor) can estimate repair costs that are conducive to the market, the easier it is to reverse engineer the number and determine the adequate purchase price to yield your desired profit. 

Planning is great - I never was good at that - words are easy to put down on paper - other people's ideas are fun to experiment with and can make someone new in this business feel good for awhile I guess.Over 40 years ago I can recall as if it were yesterday - I was where many of the new folks on this site are today - I was motivated to make money in real estate - had a giant desire to create a little success (the low pay awful job I had, and a jerk for a boss just wasn't cutting it  - but I had motivation - i discovered quickly that it takes more than motivation to pay the bills.So this one seminar I took the guru said "set a goal, build your team and find a mentor".OK - I set a goal to get rich in real estate - to buy one house a month and to quit my job.

It's not a desirable suburb of Spartanburg.

I know of a potential deal in Los Alamos, where a home is being foreclosed on in a very desirable area.

Here's where I think there is a work around: if you do a ton of research and find what homes have sold for in a desirable area 10, 20, 30 years ago and see that the value has consistently appreciated then it's probably safe to say it will continue to go up.

The offer depends on what your desired profit from the deal is and what your end goal for the property is (flip, wholesale, hold). 

The family does not desire to move, but they owner financed the home, and the owner is calling in the note.  

How do you find multifamily units in desirable neighborhoods and towns?

.$650k x 70% = $455k$455k - $10k for minimal work = $445k$445k - $7k your desired fee = $438k$438 is the MOST you should pay, and that is assuming very light rehab.