Appreciation is just the icing on the cake. 

Not my type of investing.Though appreciation is icing on the cake, the cake is the cashflow.

I hope you celebrated with a cake!

Yes appreciation won't have the BIG swings you have here in CA, but I'm going for CASH FLOW and if a property appreciates, then it's "icing on the cake".

Big trees are icing on the cake and often times can be higher cost (trimming a big tree can cost you $1 - 3k a shot).There are lots of non-desirable neighborhoods with mature trees where most folks are economically desperate. 

Well you also chose well.. you chose markets that appreciated  instead of markets were appreciation is the icing on the cake.. if you had those same issues in non appreciating markets it would be a totally different story.PS I just bought a lot on America st. in charleston  do you still have that house there..

But actually creating the LLC is a piece of cake in most states.

I won't deny that I'm privileged, but it hasn't exactly been a cake walk.I don't mean to offend.

@Bryon Fugitt - I'm sure there's a way to help you get your cake and eat it too. 

Most of them lost a lot of money and got out of real estate investing entirely.If you have good net cash flow and/or a paid off property, it's easier to sleep at night.And if the property appreciates, that's the icing on the cake.