I've heard two strong opinions 1) it's a bubble, so let it burst and then buy the next home 2) it's the last bastion of 'coastal' cities that is still undervalued and the flood of money and people moving into the city will continue unabated even if rates go up.I tend to lean to #2 from all the metrics I can look at, so it seems to me that I'll slowly lose buying power if the prices slow and the rates go up. 1) Buying the big home now (talking around 700k for this area) seems like the easy way out, and I'll gain the appreciation on it.,....but be highly limited in any other investment maneuverability until I gain equity again.

The power of the Web...

I am in the same boat.

It is to cold to paint and power washing may be difficult.

I was in the same boat as you with a rehab a couple months ago.

With all of the powerful online search tools, the MLS is pretty much accessible to you now.

How much time does it take to "screen your tenants hard"...and no matter how "great a tenant" you have, the PM still does a lot more than you think.This decision falls under the category of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should".What you should be doing, is finding the next deal, analyzing deals continuously, finding more funding, finding more buyers ready for your flips, finding more (better & moving) markets to invest in, expanding your Power Team, etc...  

Oh the power of social media.

The only thing preventing you from marketing your option is the specific MLS policies that usually require authorization (and agency) from the titled owner who has power of sale.  

You find people that are in the same boat as you and share similar stories of travel and a realization to escape the monotonous grind of Western work culture.