Currently I'm analyzing Point Breeze, Fish town, Grays Ferry and University City markets for properties in REO status.

HOAs are essentially your landlord and you have chosen to invest in a unfriendl investment environment.

Most people who buy a multiunit to live (also called "house-hacking") in LA do so in order to start building their portfolio using maximum leverage, while also learning property management skills in an environment with a little less pressure.

I get the impression that the multis in the DFW area are currently overpriced, maybe even in a bubble like environment.

You just have to adjust your expectations to what peopke are willing to accept in a near zero interest rate environment.

You are definitely of the right mindset.You are also correct regarding the market opportunities here.We currently support around 30 investors that do business across Central and Southern Florida, and are from as far away as Norway.Basically, we are a Brokerage where all of us are investors, and what we can offer, is a complete turnkey environment to someone like yourself...

I would need to look at all the numbers to decide...selling the asset you already own to get money to buy another asset, is like selling fish... to buy worms... to go fishing. 

The market here in Southern California is intimidating due to high prices and competition, but I think that's a great learning environment.

Be sure to include in your search the Indiana side of Chicagoland where you will find lower taxes and a more landlord friendly environment, as well as some great cash flow possibilities.

In today's investing environment, the best real estate operators have more capital than they can put to work and thus couldn't crowdfund a piece of the equity even if they wanted to.Longer term, quality operators with a strong track record, brand, and investor base will leverage crowdfunding software to more efficiently raise capital from HNW investors.