If you’re financing, you may need a construction loan or some creative structuring to get this across the finish line.4️⃣ Vacancy Timing – Since you’re using BRRRR, minimizing holding costs is key.

The high appreciation market will be the higher cash flow market over the hold.  

I really advise doing everything you can to be on the same side as your residents and to be aligned with them, but some of them may not hold up their end of the bargain.

Quote from @Scott Mac: Can the staff force you to do that or hold you up in some way?

Be willing to hold them to these standards.One of the best things I ever read in these forums was to be firm, but fair.

There are a couple opportunities thats on MLS currently, and I am crunching through my math and it seems to work out well (positive cash flow, decent cap rate).Some key assumptions I hope still holds true today:  low vacancy rate in general. ~1000-1200/month for a room in a single family house / duplex. 

One major things to consider that many newer investors miss with 5+ units, is that if you intend to hold, the property will need to be at least 75% occupied and stabilized before you will be able to find reasonable financing terms. 

To buy to invest and hold? 

You can use this property to hedge any others that you add that may only cover themselves, or require supplement until they are paid off.HOWEVER, if you have decided that your goal is to use Real Estate as a stepping stone to build wealth by upgrading the property you hold each time (condo to house, house to 4-plex, 4-plex to 8 unit, etc) then I think you are right to sell now while you think the property is at the top of it's appreciation.It will be hard for anyone on BP to tell you what to do as we don't know your goal.You are right. 

As for the areas to target, my goal in getting our feet wet as real estate investors--and since we plan to be living in Sac--is to find a property we can live in while renting out one or more units to help cover our housing expenses, which we can then hold and continue to rent out when we move.