Old malls have been croaking for awhile but if location is good can easily be re-engineered for tenant mix or torn down and something else built in it's place.These days I focus on and my clients internet resistant tenants for mixes of a center.  

As the caveat, I'm much more cashflow centered than appreciation.  

To do that, you will need to understand what, how to analyze, and how to exploit ALL the profit centers of RE:Cash flow throughout the lifetime of the investment.

I hope to get my first property within the next 18 months.If I can find a steal on a MFR I'll use my VA loan and get something in Southern California otherwise I'll use conventional financing and get something in the center of the country where prices are much more affordable.

(A family previously occupied 3 lots and this is the center lot)  I contacted the neighbor and discussed the issue and offered to provide an easement in exchange for a couple hundred dollars for the survey and they could piggyback on our closing attorney fees to resolve the issue.  2nd His driveway has apx 6x30 located on the lot as well.  

You want to make sure that the PM you work with has a business model and fee structure that incentivizes them to make client-centered decisions from day one.

If the market softens and home prices decline closer to employment centers in SF and Silicon Valley, as in 2008-09, people will not want to live so far away (and, if they're already in Stockton, may take the opportunity to move west).

I know the $100 down program is offering regularly in some parts of the country but I received this in an email from Chronos today:June is National Homeownership Month and the Denver Homeownership Center is offering the FHA $100 down payment sales incentive for all HUD REO properties during the month of June.

Once prices surpass the point in the center, your ability to cash-flow disappears (though there are a few exceptions).Again, although there are a few exceptions....Generally... for SFRS with 4 bedroom / 2 baths, once price moves beyond $120/125K, generating cash-flow becomes difficult if not impossible.  

The city permit center is also quite helpful, and they will help you navigate the approval process with the Architectural Review Board.