You want to know the total demand and the existing competition.  

Many new investors claim to have analysis paralysis, but that's usually an excuse for either a lack of confidence (you need more meetups and more authentic relationships with other real estate investors) or shiny object syndrome (you want to house hack, but you like apartments, but also flipping, and what about storage).

He said that they're usually very competitive for properties this size.

Due to the geographical factors that make Reno/Sparks fairly locked in, and the lack of multifamily zoning in Reno. 

However, based on their website, they do offer competitive programs for fix-and-flip investors.

I planned for it financially, but it's a headache for sure. your rent is too high if they are sitting vacant.. there is more inventory than butts to put in them.. therefore competition for the few qualified tenants this will cause rents to go DOWN.. if a property is not rented in 2 to 4 weeks your rent is too high .. this is one of the major risk factors that many dont see when buying in a subdivision of group of ALL new rentals..

Their automessages and workflows are good and more robust than the competition. 

I think these bigger cabins are getting sucked up by the normal demand and with the lack of new builds coming online. 

While investing locally is usually the easiest route, SoCal can be challenging with high entry costs and competition (though it’s definitely doable!). 

And, that this return to office will manifest itself first in suburban areas with relatively less competition and shorter commutes for local workers, and that re-absorption of inventory will take a lot of time in urban areas with tons of vacancies.