Short of wearing a fake ring and attending assertiveness training, I am not sure how to handle these kinds of situations. 

I would run the numbers on how much money you will be putting into this property over time, and whether you would like to visit many different places over time and possibly saving money.

That's the kind of info I need.

What kind of annual expense do these three garner?

It is kind of a waiting game, but I definitely agree that the live 'n flip is probably the way to go right now.

I have already seen this myself when visiting relatives in the Bay Area.

Although I'm not promoting myself as an educator and do not provide any formal curriculum or program, I do foster a "learn by doing" experience from the nature of the JV relationshipI hope this helps to answer your question about the motivation from the experienced investor side.Bob***Moderator note that this reply is to respond to the poster's question and not intended to be a promotion of any of kind***

I've used Trulia.com to look up Crime Info for a neighborhood, but have not seen where to truly find this neighborhood rating.Is there a go to website for this neighborhood rating or is it just kind of subjectively created?

Although David Greene says that I don't need to visit the place, this would be my first out of state deal.

As always, I would recommend if homes are out of your area that you go visit the area yourself before you close on any deal.