I'm hunting in unchartered territory here.

It's worth it if multiple and/or extended down times are anticipated for the "peace of mind" factor.In PG&E territory, a battery not only covers the increasing downtime but they are also economically viable because of the underlying cost per KWh from PG&E.Looking forward to battery tech following the same curve as solar - 90% decrease in cost in 15 years.

@Jason Cash I would focus on the foundation of your financial security and credit worthiness before venturing into real estate investing.Since this is unknown territory for you and you seem to not have a clear direction of what you want to do, where you want to go and how to get there, this is the time to study and learn as much as possible.  

Okay, so i have heard REI is very territorial, and you have to know YOUR market.My issue is I can't figure out why investors pay so much more in other areas other than in my area of Atlanta....For example, I have heard local investors here all say you can find deals from 5k to 40k all day long...Some of these actually can rent for 7-900 per month...As a matter of fact, my coworker just closed on his first house as an owner occupant for 32,000, it's in a decent working class neighborhood subdivision and was built in 2002...wtf?

And you have familiar territory to help calm the butterflies.Good luck!

Are you in Jumbo loan territory?

Mirror Tax code: Federal Income tax rules mirror IRS mainland, only the taxes stay in territory. 1031 exchanges can be done here.

That said, I am looking to diversify.Why: We are at peak markets and though I believe we are in pretty good shape as far as the economy is concerned, these are uncharted territories.

I'm a RE agent in San Jose, serving territory from San Mateo county down to Monterrey county and everything in between.

That's so far into dead beat territory nobody would fund that loan.