If you cannot buy it so inexpensively that you can easily double your money tomorrow, don't buy it.

Account Closed Many many investors living in expensive areas invest OOS, myself included.  

I am hoping to find an inexpensive room to rent in a safe neighborhood (I'm used to the Boulder Bubble) but within 10 miles of the Oakland airport ( I'll be commuting by bike most days to the office on Bay Farm Island).  

What originally drew me to the area was the arts district and the fact that the houses are pretty inexpensive.

If you're in a very competitive market you may want to get the house staged (filled with furniture) for marketing purposes.If you must list it in such a way as to disclose the address (for example you list it with an agent as a rental) please spend the extra $15-20 bucks to install a simplisafe alarm system: this is an inexpensive alarm system that works over 3G cellular networks.

I was under the impression it's not possible to invest for cash flow in expensive coastal markets like this.

I don't want to settle for less than my full potential just because it appears as though we are living good in Omaha, a relatively inexpensive place.

See example 7; it's just something to keep in mind for those that live in lower cost housing areas; you may not be able to accumulate several inexpensive SFH if that's your plan.

He bought inexpensive homes cash and sold through owner financing.

I make about 2600 a month and have exactly half of what I could calculate in expenses.