That said, there are thousands of landlords who do it successfully here.I've confined my REI to fix & flip work. 

The more successful San Diego OOS RE investors that I am aware of are mostly into commercial multi family (5+ units).  

In reality if your flipping is successful it could be your long term  path to riches.

We want to hear of your successes!

Better yet, for those of you with more expertise in Lease Options (Rent To Own), is it possible to really  do these deals without the need to be a licensed agent and without having to go through a a Real Estate agent or Attorney, and yet be successful at it?

You’ve come to the right place for learning everything you need to be successful in real estate!

@Grant Schroeder, further to my comments on your other thread about this, I should remind you that the key ingredient for a successful BRRRR is to buy it at a significant discount on its as-is value. ie.

I have had a few friends that invested in that area before and were successful.

The absolute most important ingredient for your success is how much people like and trust you.

I know of five methods that, have varying %'s of success:1 - Crystal Ball = 20%2 - Ouija Board = 21%3 - Palm Reader = 22% +/-4 - Card Reader = 22 - 23%5 - Fortune Teller = 25% (but I think they're just more experienced at guessing)...or, you can just do a really good analysis...and hope for the best.