In a more modern home you'll see laminate and engineered flooring come apart and any particle board or MDF construction start to flex and warp.

my first year I did 3 BRRRR's out of state while working a full time engineering job.

I've been a Bay Area resident for most of my life.I'm a Software Engineer and recently have been interested in Real Estate Investing. 

I'm old enough to remember the auto manufacturers claiming adding seat belts to cars and engineering cars to burn unleaded gas would lead to out of control price increases to the consumer costs and the end of the auto industry. 

I'm a huge proponent of visualization so I'd recommend setting a goal as far as what income you need to walk away from your corporate job and then reverse engineer how many rentals you need to have based on average cash flow.

There is a strong chance that they will require you to do building plans, with full details and engineering : with up to date building codes: you will need a drafter or architect. and why its important to google : building and safety and speak to the correct personnel. 4.

Our time is better spent focusing on our primary business & cash engine, so with the little time we have left to focus on real estate, we want to ensure we're spending that time focusing on the proper avenues.

@Scott Kunz  I would just caution to not over-engineer a solution to this problem. 

Sounds like you’ll need a structural engineer as well.We kept the 6x6 in our basement, added steel C channel to it to make sure it could carry the load.

We went through the process of rezoning, getting approval from the city, getting the architect, builder and engineers on board, and getting the lawyers to get the correct paperwork.