@Matt Granger,To make the @ work, do the following:Hold down the shift key and type @?

I've personally rehabbed several buildings in these same areas recently and haven't had anything stolen because those of us that know what they're doing have a board up company there the day of close (I personally use steel with key code doors from DAWGS or VPS).With that being said, bad neighborhoods on the south side are great for cash flow, but more than likely WILL NOT appreciate.

Sure, it's hard to get cashflow rentals in SoCal but if you have the finances to hold for several years, the appreciation cycles in SoCal can make you lots of money.Flipping may be competitive but I renovated 3 homes in San Diego in 2011-2012 and made some good money on the flips because buyers there are willing to pay top dollar for turn-key, beautiful homes.

. , For me the key to your awesome bank is that they are letting you refi when you have only owned a couple of months.

Check out Siesta Key, Sarasota, Fl, cheap flights into Sarasota or Tampa.

You can also set key word alerts to keep on topics or locations of interest to you.

As you noted, getting your wife on board is key.

At the same time you're doing #3, if your credit is good (660+), you can look into P2P (peer to peer) lending to fund the rest of the money you need in case #3 does not work outAs you can see, the key to success is to make offers and once you get an offer accepted you have to work your behind off to get that offer closed and make money from it.

@Ede JerminWelcome.Check out the Start Here page http://www.biggerpockets.com/starthereCheck out BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginner's Guide - A fantastic free book that walks through many of the key topics of real estate investing.Check out the free BiggerPockets Podcast - A weekly podcast with interviews and a ton of great advice.

Hand the keys over and let someone else do the work?