And of course this lady in Singapore got nailed for it...

I have been to Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Borneo and Malaysia but not Mainland China.

PS we are in Phuket this trip... and off to Singapore for 8 days after this.. now there is no 50k real estate in that city state...

If you think of it, the Bay Area is not too different from Manhattan to Hong Kong or Singapore in that it is limited land, all fully built out.  

This is what Chinese investors do buying homes in London, Singapore, NY etc.So there is no right answer. 

Stop in Singapore for a few days if you can.  

There are many variables to consider in this evaluation process and in addition to the things that you listed to look for (crime rate, neighbourhood appearance) here are a few more variables I would consider when assessing the an area:- Proximity to amenities (grocery stores, fitness centres)- Distance to public transit (ie. terminals and bus stops) and other transportation improvements  - Whether the neighbourhood as a whole is in transition to increase or decrease in quality - Building of new infrastructure - Moving in of a major employer One other tidbit of advice I heard recently which I thought was great is to follow the big box stores (ie. walmart).

My partner and I are foreigners, living in Singapore, but we've acquired 11 rental properties in the US. 

I just want to rectify this going forward.I've tried calling the bank to sort this out, but all I get from the lovely Mumbai call centre is "you're not authorized on this account", no one will do anything to help. 

its like Japan and other countries   Singapore etc they import their labor no way they have it organically.If we did not have Hispanic labor on the west coast we would be dead in the water  full stop.