If investing in a cold climate location,  I'd also call the gas company to provide you with the average gas bill for the past 12 months to get an accurate estimate of the Utilities for your property. 

There are some areas of northern California where Vacation Rentals off the grid may be marketable, but probably not in the actual northern California areas, but more the central California (north of the bay area a little in more mild climates)  In some of the mountain areas and near the coast, such as Trinity, Humbolt counties, there are drug cartels growing pot, and several people have gone missing (they stumble upon the gardens or have gone to work at the grows, never to be heard from again).

We are considering a self-build but given the current economic climate we may wait to break ground.

I definitely understand the delays with permitting and otherwise (particularly in today's climate). 

What these guys are saying is that as a result of a rule that made sense in a different era under different circumstances someone is knowingly going to pull the trigger and unnecessarily destroy over $100 billion in capital.So even though these properties are healthy and performing excellently, they will be destroyed.I am so very glad that I am now a retired banker, as I cannot see myself in good conscience functioning in a climate where a sub mediocre bureaucracy blindly enforces a rule because it's there.

Some ideas from others:• bank loans are not available on some types of properties • the tight lending climate has made bank financing "out of reach" for many • seller financing is an "age old" tradition based on private property rights • these rules would prohibit even partial seller financing - i.e. a "seller second" • according to HUD's "Residential Finance Survey" in 2001, roughly 40% of all non-farm residential properties in the US are owned free and clear • an estimated 6 million Americans own a property other than their own primary residence • an estimated 4.5% of Americans own three or more properties, many purchased solely as investment properties • 40% of non-owner occupied residences are mobile homes which are more difficult to sell with bank financing • approximately 5% of homes in US are for sale or for lease... seller financing may be key to liquidating this inventoryThe continued success of our industry as we know it is threatened by these proposed regulatory changes.

@Ty Berry welcome to the south....everything is better here - weather, taxes, political climate to name a few.  

In a climate that is cold (Indy).Would you think that 50k in rehabs would suffice for something like this?

It’s the perfect altitude, climate, and rainfall for premium coffee.

However, having done and continuing to do a ton of research on this and other platforms, speaking and emailing with myriad RE Professionals from all over the Country I'm still not quite comfortable pulling the proverbial trigger.There's just too much hanging in the balance given our current economic climate nationally along with reliable and honest property management, maintenance and contractor pools in the local area.