In a competitive market, forced appreciation seems to be what I should aim at after I find a deal.I forgot to precise this but my comment was related to house hacking a Triplex@Frederic Babeux the decision to start with montreal, at least for the start is because my girlfriend and I work here and we wanted to house hack as an initial investment.

Detail sander, grout removal blade, vibrating scraper, precision hacksaw, ultra-thin curf wood saw, carbide rasp for thinset removal.

That being said, I am a big believer in giving underwriting precisely what they asked for. 

If they'll work in the space you might consider a barn door since it won't need to fit precisely.

@Julissa Perez I know it's not precisely what you're looking for, but I do want to reassure you that I think your instincts are right.

I live in the East Bay, in Concord to be precise and prices here are at an all-time high.

But that is precisely what the CARES Act allows. 

Realtors sometimes knowingly overprice a property to test the waters, so if you come in at 80% and your appraisal comes back at precisely that amount, then you've basically paid full retail price.Don't worry about insulting Sellers. 

I would get your criteria including ARV for different neighborhoods & max allowable offer down with precision, then set up searches on the major MLS sites, including a search you've set up with a realtor, & get your pre qual letter ready to make an offer the minute something comes on.

Treat it as though it’s a million dollar renovation, with equal precision.