I've decided it is time to cash in all my chips in that horrible city and take my risk else where.If you do decide San Bernardino is right for you, the first thing you should do is go over to Bass Pro and pick up a 12" Mag Light and a nice hand gun.

Hi J Scott, Thanks for chipping in, I appreciate the advice.

Windows- The paint on them is old and chipping in some places.

No it never works out and they always use it as a bargaining chip you just bought a new car why is my rent going up blah blah.

My prop mgr is telling me that they should be poly'd, or else they'll peel or chip, and will fail Section 8 inspections down the road.

The problem comes when it starts to deteriorate and chip and fall apart then the dust gets into the air and it needs to be taken care of.

At least $30k of repairs needed to be made upfront for me to get the mortgage, and the sellers were not willing to chip in a dime.It's been a couple of weeks and it's been complete radio silence from the sellers, their agent, and their attorney.

reading this thread is kinda funny....it's like there are two separate conversions going on here ;)  But to clarify, if you buy well in premier blue chip markets like costal CA, Hawaii, Manhattan, Seattle, etc., of course your primary is an investment.

I have a huge pile of "to read" books that I slowly chip away at.

I am going to look for something under $180k now that I am realizing I want more cash flow and if the house is vacant for 2 months out of the year, then I wouldn't have much profit at all for the year.Since I qualify for first time homebuyer loans and can get 100% financing with no PMI through various places (real estate agent recommended CHIP's through BB&T), would it be smarter to do that so I have more money available for a down payment on a second home?