While Folsom and Rocklin might be great places to live, investing in a sfr in those locations will most likely put you in the red for a while.

Just sold a property I bought for 4.2m for 6.1m with almost no capx done to it and holding it for about 2 years).So stay away from BFE warzones, and lefty liberal coasts, and find yourself some nice red state high growth (think Az, tx) multi.   

If nothing else, these raise a few red flags for the future.

Personally I am no fan of white, more dark red / cherry for me.

If they buck, that's a huge red flag.

More practically, I suggest burnishing your credit until it sparkles, paying off high-interest consumer debt(if you have any,) reading and listening to podcasts(and definitely avoiding the high-priced 'guru' classes,) and saving up for a downpayment.

The huge repair was definitely a red flag that made us worried for the rest of the house, but after the inspection we brought in a few other experts (structural engineer, masonry contractor) who gave us some encouraging assessments.We ended up getting another $5k off and are going to move forward.

These are items that may boost your score some, but are red flags for financial character (potentially). 

When you're looking for a property, what are some easily recognizable red flags you look for? 

I see two glaring red flags, both around the same issue  -- How are you selecting tenants?