Frankly, it strikes me as the most significant migration I've witnessed in my adult life, reminiscent of the Bay Area and even NYC in the the 2.5 decades prior (before I had an income to participate in them :) )In particular, I think that the migration of both business and culture will result in a very sticky mix that may even exceed projected population growth numbers, which are already on track to double over the next 20 years.CapitalOriginally, I was going to invest alone, but I've since joined forces with 2 friends.Together, we're prepared to deploy ~$300k and have discussed raising silent money if the deal(s) justify it.We would certainly prefer to see cashflow, but are fine breaking even for 1-2 years in exchange for what we expect to be obscene growth - 30-40% over the next few years by most accounts.

It is always a red flag when realtors say a property would make a great investment but cannot clearly justify why. 

Fees should be clearly stated in writing, easy to understand, and justifiable.

Something where the marketing costs are justified because of the conversion rates. 

#1 - don’t try to do everything yourself…so much of the manual labor I justified doing myself at the beginning and although I saved thousands of dollars…I lost tons of time and more important my energy, focus and peace of mind. 

Because it's a lot easier to justify their own bad acts (in their mind) when they make up reasons that the other person is "wrong", than it is to look in the mirror and say, "Huh, I'm a really terrible/deadbeat person."

If the value of the bulk portfolio is more than the 5-unit, would that justify the 1031 exchange or does it need to be one building that has equal or greater value?

There is more time than you think involved in coordinating a signature, answering questions from tenants, and facilitating the process.We try to always get a rental increase that justifies the renewal fee but, that is market dependent. 

If you are getting poor initial interest, your advertising is not good...... where do you list, good description and pictures etc... if you are doing a decent job you should be getting lots of calls/inquiries..... most will not pan out but if you are getting low initial contacts, then something is wrongMost of the time it's price....... the bay area is a hot bed rental market......the price you listed seems reasonable at first glance, but it may not be justified by other factors

I agree that vacancy is very low and you need a reason to justify such a low amount (e.g., you have long-term tenants that you are confident in that will rent for 3-5 years).