San Antonio is hot in the summer.I will compare my return on San Diego purchases against any market, but if you plan to buy rent ready, I think many markets will beat San Diego in the short term.  10 years or more out, I suspect few markets will beat San Diego.  

Keep evaluating deals so you are ready when a good one comes along.

Or is it a reasonable approach given I have an experienced PM on my team ready to look things over, plus the knowledge of what I have learned from other investors?

If your goal is to grow faster, buying rent ready properties isn't the usual way to do that if you have limited funds to start with.

I'm ready to pay 10-20% and fully expect lenders to want some control over the rehab.

I've always liked real estate (I actually have family with long connections to construction) and after reading a lot about real estate investing, I decided to start working as an agent in order to get the most firsthand experience possible, so when my time comes -first investment deal- I'll be more than ready and acknowledged in this market.

AI isn't ready?  

A BP fan favorite and a great way to snowball overtime. 4️⃣ Invest in Syndications or Private Lending:If you’re not ready to own property yourself, you can passively invest in syndications or become a private lender on fix-and-flip projects.

I am a LTR owner, getting ready to move into the STR game.

You can get something that's turnkey or new construction at this price point, and most importantly, there's a strong tenant base ready to rent out these homes.