But thanks for the mention @Jay Hinrichs I'd invest in my backyard, outside the city of Seattle.

I have the same goals as well and would be awesome to see if theres any way either of us can help each other with our investing goals!

All the best!

“Texas is the birthplace of the chip that changed the world—and where the future of America’s semiconductor industry is already building.

UW is only as good as the numbers that are entered into the data cells. 

The purchase contract makes the buyer legally responsible for the loan. 

Would it be a good idea to take a deposit to secure the deal until the rule clears?

funds only go into interpleader after months of sitting in escrow. the court just does not hand the money to the seller either.. if not agreed upon the funds go to the state etc.

But, the self-sufficiency test for FHA loans can be really difficult in SF, meaning that the market rent from units you will not occupy must be sufficient to pay for the mortgage payment. 

Focus on absentee owners and start with the ones who live the farthest away and only own one property in the area since they have the least use for the property.You can also drive for dollars, looking for anomalies of disrepair and then look them up in the tax records and use a site like Spokeo to do cheap skip tracing.