I believe single family homes will appreciate the best, and when you are young you are ok with doing rent by the room to friends or family to assist with the costs.

I've had qualified renters move into a rental, add their bum friends or family members, and then disappear, leaving me with bad renters who weren't approved and aren't on the lease.The best practice is to screen every adult, approve them, and add them to the lease. 

The challenge was balancing the relationship between landlord/tenant and a personal/friendly relationship.

Always introduce yourself as ..John or maybe Reagan is better....Maybe like hi I'm Reagan like the President, your friendly neighborhood realtor....that's how they will remember you and you want them to remember you. 

You rarely will get both (at least not right now in this current market).If you want to explore different opportunities within various areas of the Valley, get a seasoned investor-friendly Realtor who is competent. 

The ypromise the world and a happy, friendly place to live but then they they do nothing.

In my circle of family and friends, I will say that anyone that owns RE especially in CA has over at least several million in networth and they weren't high W2 earners (no surgeons or attorneys, but librarians, accountants, etc) but this takes years 15 to 30+ years..

Buying a property as primary, renting a bedroom or two to friends is a good way to start building your RE portfolio.

@Rich Davis "The difference is I'm in Maine, where the evictions laws lean landlord friendly.

I called my Mom’s friend, a realtor named Tracy Greenfield.