Prices are high, expenses are high, and rents are modest so the strategies that can get you enough to live on, to give some examples, might be student housing, higher risk cities with low house prices and poor economic fundamentals, or starting with buying a multi-million dollar portfolio requiring hundreds of thousands or a million+ of down payment. 

@Daniel M Gibson sticking to fundamentals and your "gut" is always the best course.Unlike 99% of the investors on this site, my take is that investing for cash flow is a bad idea...it creates a jaundiced view of how things work...meaning that investing is about controlling assets as wisely as possible...not immediate cash flow.I use seller carried loans routinely because I'm in for the long haul (and I don't need rental income to survive)...as long as the purchase price makes sense, I could care less about income...the concept is debt paydown and future equity.

I have my thoughts as to why Richmond has strong fundamentals and economics and is poised for steady rent growth.

Always buy in areas that have good economic fundamentals.

I am looking into wrap around mortgages and lease option and trying to understand the fundamentals of how to pitch it to a potential seller and get a contract.

DC is a fantastic market with great fundamentals. 

I just look at the fundamentals and often just trust my gut. 

This is the fundamental problem I have with Wall Street who takes too much fees off the hard-working efforts of the middle class. 

Sacramento is a loose description too which usually includes the eastern suburbs.Bay Area: The local fundamentals create a unique market unlike no other.Oceanside, CA: West of the 5 for the most part means north of the 8, $800k that is.

I think the fundamental question is what are you after...it sounds like long-term stability...and there are a host of underlying factors that contribute.