Amenities are fine to consider but the major factors are going to be bedrooms, baths, square footage, location, and quality of the unit.

Hi @Ralph PereaI currently live in Riverton, Utah, and I am always intrigued by the ex-pat lifestyle.

The priced paid on a loan is based on the many factors which can primarily boil down to property, borrower and paperwork.  

Instead of factoring in 10% vacancy and 10% for maintenance and repairs for example, factor in 20% for vacancy and 20% for repairs and another 10% for reserves.

I have 3 houses on a lot in the Los Feliz/SilverLake area that I will be selling soon, and would like to do a 1031 exchange, so timing would be a factor.

As long as you factor it into the deal that what I would suggest.

The upside is I'll be able to cash flow around $25k/year with an %8 vacany rate factored in. 

This insurance may be the deciding factor.

When it became apparent that we both shared a similar lifestyle philosophy, and were going to be earning roughly the same for the foreseeable future, and wanted to buy a home and raise a family together we decided it was time to go all in and combine our accounts and its been that way for about ten years.

I factor in opportunity cost depending on where you are in your career.