Hello everyone,Thanks in advance for viewing my post and for your advice.A bit about myself and why I signed up at this website:I am in my mid-50's and ready for a change.I am fed up with the Rat Race and my (yuk)job in the Bay Area and have a plan,but need advice getting from point A to point B.My situation,I own home in the East Bay and want to sell and buy something out of statefor a fraction of what a home would cost in the Bay Area.I am interested in early retirement,I have earned it and deserve it,but that's another story.I figure after the sale of my Bay Area home,I should clear around 425k.But I ask myself,if I find a small home for around 265k,should I pay it off with cashOR have a mortgage payment and invest my profit after sale in the rental marketwhich I know nothing about.The house was an inheritance and I know very little about Capital Gains,only thatI could write off the money I invested in the property after the inheritance againstthe Capital Gains taxes and would owe practically nothing.In the bigger picture,my question is,"How Can I turn the sale of my High Priced Bay Area Home into a Win-Win Real Estate Investment strategy?"

Do you need the tax write off to keep Uncle Sam at bay? 

In addition Jason and Spencer Hsu, run some great meetups in the South Bay.

For conventional funding I go with Heather Todd at Atlantic Bay (message me and I'll give you her number).

Also I got a quote from a few contractors (in the east Bay Area) around 250-300k.

Also I got a quote from a few contractors (in the east Bay Area) around 250-300k.

The other way was by buying & flipping over 100 houses/year in the SF bay area for about 6 years through the entire down cycle. 

Good evening to everyone on BiggerPockets,My name is John Kenyon and I am a Police Officer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Hi Sudhir, I just moved from Bay Area to Placer County.

Unless you find a building where you can double the rents, no point in trying to compete in this shark infested Bay Area.