I have a good paying steady job but little to no savings (I live in wonderful SoCal so pretty much everything I make goes towards living expenses) and I have average credit.

Land - a whole different animal with a very long turnaround.It's a slow and steady game. 

Well, if you are worried about homeownership in the US falling from 70% to 64%, consider that the homeownership rate in Germany has been steady at 52% and most Germans are perfectly happy with that.

Slow and steady wins the race is what I've experienced in my own business.

My interests within the property market are buy to let to build a steady income long term to improve my future finances although, what i really want to do is to buy property that are in need of development to produce high standard living for social housing or private tenants.

I think appreciation will show steady growth for a number of years to come.  

Early in my career, I became fixated on just a few properties and didn't have a steady flow of leads in my marketing pipeline.

Not to mention all the tax benefits that come along with Real Estate investing..slow and steady wins the race.

@Nicolas Chambers,I'm sorry if I'm missing something, but they pass your criteria, have steady jobs and are dependable.  

My contractor wants to put a 80% efficiency furnace in the attic due to cold temperatures in the winter.