I've often wondered how the vacation rental business would be in Lake Havasue ... highly seasonal I suspect ... vacation rental property management for absentee owners would be the way to play that angle, I'd guess. 

Contractor currently charges % on total spent which gives him no motivation to keep bids low or fight for better deals with subs/suppliers.

Rents are very low here.

Essentially, there are three options:Invest in the Bay Area: High prices, low returns.

Account ClosedI did a few years as a Lowes sub.

., upload them to CL, put a ridiculously low price, and watch the phone ring.

This means I likely won't be buying a killer deal, but I will still be paying a low-ish mortgage.

$25 per month per unit for water and sewage seems low.

For example in washington DC the properties are mostly equity plays where cash flow is very low, but you go 45 minutes outside of DC and you are in it for cash flow.

The in-store, in-stock laminates are cheaper versions of the made to order, at least these days and at Lowes.