Still very close to CA but no state income tax, property taxes DO NOT reassess on the sale (4th lowest property taxes in the US), much more landlord friendly, diversified job growth, population growth, and Reno doesn't have as severe of weather in the summer as Vegas.

I've been resisting BofA, Wells Fargo, Chase and other like banks. 

Build up your reserves to $140k+ and if you are in a better place then you can take $40k and buy another property, but you will have that $100k reserve to help you weather any storms. 

Fabulous weather in the winter though, for the most part. 

Crime is everywhere but do other cities have the weather we do, the culture, the resilience, and the untapped potential that we have in ABQ? 

This is and I say this with extreme emphasis NOT the time to be learning, the market is wayyyy to unpredictable, I mean the material market, weather my suppliers can't commit to a price for more then a few days or the item is 3 weeks out.

At least the weather is nice :P Best of luck! 

Love to hear your thoughts- AC unit needs to have an exterior side panels and brackets to support to secure the unit- Do not screw into the window sash as this will damage the window and you will be responsible- Install weather striping to avoid water or critters from entering your unit- Unit needs to be tipped towards the outside to avoid condensation and damage to floors- Landlord is not responsible for their Air conditioning unit if broken- Tenant is responsible for window, floor, ceiling damages caused by poorly installed window unit- Window unit should not be installed before May 1st and must be removed by Oct 1st

Now, consider that same scenario in a duplex investment, where one tenant is still paying and even if you have issues with the 2nd tenant you may have a chance to weather that storm.  

If you have  / can find suitable land (topography and zoning can be an issue), have access to the necessary capital (more expensive), can be more patient with the timelines (new builds will take quite a bit longer, especially on multi units, and dont' forget to factor in possible weather delays), and enjoy the process of designing something from nothing - GO FOR IT.One big caveat: make sure you have the RIGHT General Contractor who really understands new construction.