It may be best to tap into that equity and get it working in higher return investments.I do apartments... most investment opportunities I've seen recently are projecting mid-teens as average annual returns.

There are other options I have been selling to my investors right now that are putting out nominal cash on cash returns but are putting out high teens for a IRR (internal rate of return).

I am pretty new (as is any person who is in their teens still) but I am super ambitious about my real estate dreams.

To answer your questions:I like to see at least $150/month/unit and a CoC ROI in the mid-teens or better.Correct, just cash flow.

Our 14 year old is really into Rich Dad Poor Dad for teens and the younger 3 love being helpful.

What you're likely experiencing is this rediscovering of these markets from investors who see the same thing you're seeing: Good returns regarding boring, not sexy cash flow.

I was a teen at the time and thought he could've done better having a business broker handling.

A lot of people look in the Bay Area because it's "sexy" but there are other areas like you mentioned like Stockton, Lodi, and Modesto which have a lot of value add opportunities.  

though Houston and Dallas are surely the new sexy markets on the block I would have to respectfully disagree with Ali on this one as Memphis is still a very relevant market for investors.  

Been following them for a long time on BP and my comments above absolutely  do not apply to them.I know that REITS, because they are available to the general public, aren't as sexy or may seem less sophisticated than private placements, but with the amount of regulatory scrutiny, mandated audits, compliance requirements, board of directors, etc., the chance for widespread fraud or shenanigans goes ways down when compared with private investments.