You can call the city, make sure there are no liens or scheduled work to be done in the area..... had a house last year, seller didn't disclose that the city was requiring new sewer line in the neighborhood.

Thank you Rick, I have been looking for things along those lines from the street views that are given on properties but I just wasnt sure if there was a short list of different areas in SA that are generally better to by.

They want to line up a place to live before moving. 

I would probably hedge my bets: sell the ones that you can get the most profit for, keep the ones that are in areas with more potential appreciation. 

I'm new but being mentored by a broker who did hundreds if not thousands of BPOs through the crash (broker price opinion, sort of like a non-official appraisal for bank foreclosure and other purposes) and really knows the value of adjustments and when to draw the "not comparable" line.

For contrast to your plan, we have several private money partners lined up for buy and hold rentals and are now actively looking for properties that fit our criteria.

Once you've got the financing lined up, your agent should be able to help you determine the perfect area to find a duplex, analyze rents, crime, etc.But beware, if your agent mostly deals in single family homes and has never worked with investment property like this before they may lead you astray as it'll be the blind leading the blind.Feel free to reach out if you have any more questions about the Sacramento market or investing in general and we'll try to get you pointed in the right direction :-)

Seeing real estate investments from behind the scenes, I bet you'll find yourself an owner finance deal or something in no time. 

@Matthew Paul, You ruined the punch line!

@Ti Jackson You can go about this a number of ways depending on your financial situation:1) Line of Credit off of your personal residence - You need to have a good amount of equity in order to use this to fund your entire flip.