It’s resilience.

@Tim Gosser I have a few college rentals in the Hudson Valley and my recommendations would be update as much as you can with resilient materials to withstand some extra abuse.

We brought the common wall with the adjoining unit (along the kitchen and bathroom) up to current fire code (on this side):Due to our proximity to the property line and the neighbouring building, we also covered the rear external wall with resilient channel and 5/8" fire rated drywall to allow us to use vinyl siding, versus more expensive non-combustable siding solutions, when we re-clad the building.In addition to using rock wool (Roxul Safe-n-Sound) insulation in our fire walls, we installed it in all bathroom walls, the bathroom ceiling and in the "TV wall" and walls and ceiling surrounding the laundry space to provide sound deadening. 

The California economy has resilience.

you can buy compression fittings at lowe's or home deport for this purpose.http://www.lowes.com/Pipe-Fittings/PEX-Pipe-Fittin...you can use them with all different pipe and tubing types, as long as the diameters match up.My recommendation could be to use PEX, it's more resilient, and easier to install (bendy, hooray).  

And quite frankly, now I'm scared.John Taylor Gatto, a retired school teacher and activist critical of compulsory schooling, asserts, "We could encourage the best qualities of youthfulness – curiosity, adventure, resilience, the capacity for surprising insight simply by being more flexible about time, texts, and tests, by introducing kids into truly competent adults, and by giving each student what autonomy he or she needs in order to take a risk every now and then.

Tile is super resilient--aside from the grout, what would it need?

We focus on historically defensive, resilient, and viableinvestment strategies, offered by experienced and reputable investment managers that have the potential toperform in both strong and challenging market environments.

But SF is very resilient economically but I am not sure how other cities in the mid west  or East coast may pan out. 

I would hire a professional, German cocktail roaches are very resilient and can hide and lay eggs in places you never thought they could hide.