I’d love to play 1 appreciation gamble every two years (buy a 800k house in San Diego or something, rent it at 4-5k, which covers mortgage, and cash flow from other properties for cap ex) and profit at sell off on appreciation in 15 years.That’s another thing I don’t need the cash flow to live off of and I don’t intend to retire on the cash flow in the next few years.

Granted, renting to pet owners is a gamble...but I would argue that renting to Humans is far more risky.

I had never heard of them before and didn't want to run a chance of getting spam.

@Derek McGillicuddy It's always a pretty big gamble if you rent out to someone you know.

@Brian Nance some of C class neighborhoods are transforming to a B class.Its easier to “predict” the direction that a neighborhood is going towards than predicting what will happen with a whole market.I’d suggest feeling the vibe of the neighborhood, you can tell that by seeing that a lot of houses are getting renovated, greener grass, cleaner area, cops are present and it just feels safe.Neighborhoods that their tenants are the owners will be taken care of better too.I would not wait because houses in good areas increase fast, so it is a gamble that eventually you will end up paying more for the same house.Good luck!

,That is part of cold calling but the only strategy I would tell you to help is to let them know your a local investor so they dont think your this big cold calling company spamming them.

well most on BP will tell you speculation is gambling blah blah blah.there are not many properties bought for rentals in Lake O given the price points.right when I say that the house 2 doors down from me just sold for mid 400s and they rented it.. rents cant be more than maybe 2500.00 now maybe its a family member or something. you can find older properties in the lake grove area of Lake O.. but generally speaking this is all owner occ stuff and very little MF duplex etc.appreciation of course has been spectacular last 6 or 7 years.. but its leveled off now.. as for solid property to own   for that's the case .. 

Contractors can be fickle people, but sometimes you're forced to take a bit of a gamble

Not saying spam them or use some arbitrary formula (though I know a local guru that teaches exactly this) but just see if you can get a few of them to counter.   

Note back to #3, always have exit strategies to handle a variety of situations as they arise.I always like to keep the mindset that the money is made when you buy the property so always track your numbers closely to ensure it pens out when you buy, not a few years down the road based on a gamble.