Just went into contract on a home (3 bedroom/2 bath with an outbuilding in the backyard with power) yesterday before doing solid number calculations (I relied heavily on my agent making the mistake of not doing my own due diligence, even as a rookie, I should have known better!). 

Is that a high crime area?

Not the situation I want when selling.So the risk is low demand in the face of high supply and a cookie-cutter condo.

The duplex was expensive and with rates as high as they are, I was not able to save money house hacking.

I'm perfectly willing to pay for my MLS access, but I don't want to pay the high membership fees for KCRAR.Can anybody shed some light on this process? 

It's essentially Stessa partnered with a 3rd party bank where the rent payments are ACH-ed into and it is a high yielding account.

:Class A Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, 3-5 years for positive cashflow, but you get highest relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% the more recent norm.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 680+, zero evictions in last 7 years.Class B Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, decent amount of relative rent & value appreciation.Vacancy Est: Historically 10%, 5% should be applied only if proper research done to support.Tenant Pool: Majority will have FICO scores of 620-680, some blemishes, but should have no evictions in last 5 yearsClass C Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, high cashflow and at the lower end of relative rent & value appreciation.

ya those lenders are often pretty well known for working with many of the high end west coast prefab cos

Also, there is a shortage of housing and a very high demand for rentals due in part to being a tourist town, but also because of an influx in people on coming from the west coast. 

It can absolutely be done in California, and although California makes it very difficult to manage properties due to tenant-friendly laws, if you know what you're doing or have a great property manager, California is an excellent place to invest due to high appreciation.