I'm currently working with several other investors in the area who are in your same shoes and are currently looking to invest outside of the Bay Area, so I know exactly what you're trying to achieve.I just watched California Association of Realtor's Year End Review for 2016 Presentation, An astronomical amount of people are moving out of the Bay Area and into the surrounding counties.

I forget the exact numbers.....but lead conversion on sphere is astronomically higher than on a non sphere lead.

Reno, Nevada was decimated and then made a comeback; San Francisco explodes in tech innovation and rents grow astronomically; Austin, Texas becomes one of the upcoming tech scenes with all the VC money that they're experiencing, but then oil slows Texas down.

Condo fees are astronomical.

In the Northern Virginia area, the housing market is astronomically high, which is good for the economy...but not as good for a newer investor such as myself.

The NYC metro area is a bit astronomical right now, so I'm particularly interested in investing in properties in other parts of the country. 

The competition now seems to be stronger than ever in SD/LA areas and it's much harder close a deal when investors/agents/wholesalers are submitting astronomical offers and then push for reductions.

and @Jay Hinrichs you're also blessed to be on the West coast, not only with its great weather but also its astronomical appreciation.

Which is why even though people have been talking about AI for 30+ years, and computing power is astronomically greater than it was 30+ years ago, we've only seen incremental AI advancements.  

But the price will be astronomical for these kinds of units.3) Property Management - You'll need to self manage.