These are my criterias:- Long term appreciation and 8%+ cash on cash ROI (if I had bought as investment property)   - Most properties I have looked at in Coral Gables are barely crossing 6% cash on cash on ROI.

The client asked her for advice given the market conditions back then, and she subsequently sold her property and purchased 9 rentals in the DFW area, each at a market value of $150K, each generating $1200/mo.When the 2008 recession hit, that Stockton property fell to ~$150K in value, while her DFW properties barely dropped, and her cashflow was secured.The point of the anecdote wasn't to say: "cash everything out and buy the midwest" - it was just proposing a strategy of investment, weighing current economic factors at the time.It is my opinion that markets with high appreciation are subject to market corrections during recessions and I present it here as food for thought. :)Cheers.

I'm from Seattle area and looking to buy a duplex investment property but 99% of such properties in Seattle area are overpriced, rents below market, barely braking even, and still getting too many offers within a couple days.

I wouldn't.My last investment property was basically ruined by my last tenant, but I know most of that fault was mine -- I had hardwood floors, I let them bring their pit-mix in because I was desperate for a tenant, they barely made the financial requirement, and started exhibiting weird behavior about 1.5 years in.

I barely see a decent property returning 100$ cashflow after 20% down.

In a war zone landlords do the bare minimum and rent is collected in cash or some other method that takes cash to refill.

I prefer to supply a tenant the bare minimum space to exist. 

And "Perry", he's got a doctorate in bare minimum for bare minimum $. 

It's always a good idea to have a moisture barrier covering the bare ground to prevent moisture transfer between the ground and house.  

Fact is you won't know until it is dug up which should not be something you should bare the burden of IMO.