There's some complicated ways around it and things may have improved, but I can tell you that I was personally threatened with being charged with a felony in 2019 for renting my property even though I had gone through the proper permitting.

My thoughts: East Bay:- Close to a BART station to traveling medical worker/corporate person could hop on a bus/BART to work: El Cerrito, San Leandro, Hayward, Fremont, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill, Concord, Dublin, Pleasanton- Maybe Richmond, Antioch and Pittsburg but some parts have a lot of crime. - Going further out Brentwood and Oakley have appreciated quite a bit and have pretty good schools- Something with potential to add value: ADU attached to the main house or separately in the backyard in the future to get additional rent.

I use a broker, they do the leg work and since their interest is in my success, as opposed to an insurance sales person who's only interest is making commissions.

Your personal assets are protected with a viel, which can be pierced under certain circumstances.

The rationale being you are reducing your personal housing costs as the rented unit will be covering some of the costs. 

This type of loan is based on the property's income, not your personal finances, which makes it perfect for investors like us.

However, it is mostly geared toward a person who has a W-2 job themselves, which is not the case for me, so there are some applications that I am finding confusing. 

Asset Protection:While owning properties in your own names may have tax advantages, it does expose you to personal liability.

A great way to meet people in your local community is to attend in person meet ups.

The exact definition varies from person to person, but I mainly consider them <$40k reno and hitting those items.