Purchase price: $925,000 Cash invested: $75,000 Sale price: $1,190,000 Bought and styled and managed a luxury Airbnb in Scottsdale.

I have heard that CA is very competitive and very difficult to find deals in.

With $100k down it’ll probably be slightly negative cash flow.

They have no cash to qualify for a rental or even pay for the move. 

It feels like the focus has shifted from creating value to chasing quick payouts, with little regard for the end buyer.

Buy your next property with all cash, fix it up with cash, and then do a cash-out refinance afterward.

So, your focus may need to pivot from high rental cash flow to little to no cash flow as a rental with an appreciation upside.I would recommend taking your $150K to $200K and securing a solid equity position in something that will cover its expenses and maybe provide a small cash flow, but then is poised to appreciate nicely over the course of the next several years. 

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Bankrate, the big perks of an FHA home loan are:Lower Down Payments: They typically require a smaller down payment than conventional loans, sometimes as low as 3.5% of the home’s purchase price.Lower Credit Score Requirements: They’re designed to help buyers with credit scores that might not qualify for conventional financing.

It essentially includes having a buyer for a specific property BEFORE entering  in a contract with a seller.  

Also if you are selling, hopefully your agent has advised you but good practice to have a vacant unit to open the buyer pool to owner-occupied buyers/house hackers.