I figure if they were asked that, they would indirectly wind up saying that some of bush's programs that he started are worthy of keeping, therefore we must raise taxes to sustain them.

JonOkay Jon this is how it works-Whatever you decide to bid that is up to you, you can start at $50 k if you want (I would say make it a s resonable as possible but do take what you can get).

Their buying jacked prices up beyond a level of sustainability and property was no longer accessible at a price you could cashflow comfortably at.

As far as geographic location goes...we are very open to almost anywhere in the country and happens to be the topic of a different question that I was planning to post soon.Level of involvement is also an interesting subject....we are hoping that we will eventually be able to leave our jobs in the Bay Area and move back to Texas (our original home and lots of family still there) but are willing to stay here for awhile...use our jobs and credit...for financing as needed...and then move into full time REI...with the eventual goal of "system-izing" everything and having passive income that will sustain us....but again who doesn't want that right?

Sounds like you've heard the answer, that YES, this is a sustainable business, but I'd add that you have to play the long game in real estate.

I am really looking for long term and sustainability, though it is not easy to predict. 

Is it possible to use a hard money lender to get the property initially and then somehow transfer to a more long term sustainable loan?  

The reason to think that the US west coast isn't affected by real estate like the rest of the country is because the cities of the west coast are self-sustained to a higher degree than other cities, with truly global economies, and global real estate investment money.

If I was a more experiences investor that had rode the wave of appreciation since 2008, I would be a lot more conservative in my outlook as my goal would now be to protect the wealth I'd already built while aiming to sustain growth.

Now I have about a month and a half to figure out how to sustain myself and my family with starting a business in real estate.