I would not anticipate much turnover so could be good cash flow over the long run, the question is the long-term appreciation… depends on your strategy and weather you’d be managing themselves or relying on unknown local property manager, contractors, etc.

what is important to you - city, suburbs, weather, sports?

  - They're very robust in content (which is critical in conversion on high resistance types of asks, like selling a property).

So weather you have a mortgage or not, you are paying that fee.  

And it certainly has nothing to do with the "horrendous" weather. 

If you can spend more, you could use composite lumber or engineered lumber which can be more resistant

Renting in Dec or January is orders on magnitude harder than in the summer even in mild weather San Diego.  

I liked this one the best because it's on a river and has great weather.

However,they have suffered damages more than once from bad weather, and it's not a very convenient location for non-retirees.

This will help you understand if you've weathered the storm, or if it's just starting.Walk the properties, and look at all the major stuff... here's a quick list, below, to get you started.