You have to know which neighborhoods and property types have the highest potential for appreciation given changing demographics and the underlying health of the local economy.I have a feeling that giant sucking sound of dollars flowing out of California will meet with disappointment ...

Using too aggressive assumptions (high rents & rent growth, low rehab costs & expenses, etc) will demonstrate a great return on paper but will inevitably disappoint investors when the deal fails to meet expectations.

I will not disappoint.

If you only look at the income it produces, you will probably be disappointed. try looking at the cost of ownership, maintenance in its many forms.

There are all kinds of agents for different customers, however, the OP is now disappointed with the service, which I think may be unwarranted and the result of unrealistic expectations and/or poor communication.

Just be prepared for their "appraisal" to be a disappointment.

I've tried using CPAs here and there but they are ultimately disappointing and save me very little in the way of time.  

Going through the eviction process affects us in many ways.Not only are we disappointed because the Tenant didn’t work out, but we’re pretty worried now to boot.Not only are we worried, but we’re pretty angry because it took a lot of work to get our rental units into shape again.

There's a lot of disappointment to be had in the process (you need to manage your expectations). 

And then be prepared to be disappointed, because most tenants don't have a care in the world about keeping your yard in good shape. ;)Hope this insight helps!