I will continue to try, however and opportunity has presented itself in Evansville IN.  

We are actually seeing some of this in SF where rents are being capped by continued condo supply and appreciation has slowed down vis a vis SFH.

@Yuriy Skripnichenko and @Lana Lee Do either of you know anyone who has rented out rooms in their primary residence (i.e. a roommate) while they continue to live there? 

It would almost certainly (in my opinion) be considered "normal wear and tear" if you've lived in the house for 5 years, at the end of that long period of time the carpet would certainly need to be replaced and it wouldn't be your responsibility to do so as a tenant.And to continue his analogy, Bank of America would not expect you to replace the carpet in a house that they foreclosed on or otherwise took back.

Will prices continue to surge? 

If you think they will be a hassle and continue to pay late when they feel like it file for eviction AND close any channels they have to pay you rent.

My question: how do you stay motivated to continue fighting the fight to keep investing, flippling, selling, etc. 

From my point of view, that would be going backwards - I am wondering how I will continue financing properties once I get to 10!!

Same thing with flipping; you just have to stick to your criteria and not get pressured into bending your criteria to force a deal to work.Everyone, it would be great if we all kept in touch and continued to share our experiences with one another.

I have looked at and analyzed several SMF deals in the west end (Waconia, Watertown, Delano, and the likes) and am continuing to do so, hoping to find something that my wife and I with our two kids could live in and still have a little room and somewhat of a yard for the kids to play in.