I am fortunate enough to be in position to do well while others aren't...

I felt like I was in way over my head- fortunately I had a mentor to re-assure me.The only thing I would add by way of advice is "paper is your friend."

Hi Jason,I have a house that is rented to students, fortunately they are quite responsible, and not a problem.

@Dmitriy Fomichenko  I can help you, I run the Pittsburgh REIA club, we have more than 1000 members and we have everything you need to build a team.  

Are you part of the OC Cal Alumni club?

Real Estate investment clubs are a good place to find that.  

I want it to be clear we had built substantial savings and were financially secure from the beginning.In September 2017, we helped create and now run a successful Multifamily Meetup Club.

@Brandon Turner that's sad, but fortunately there is insurance.Recently a friend's apartment house (he's a renter) was PURPOSEFULLY set on fire by another tenant who had mental health problems.

Fortunately, I'm in Chicago, a big enough city where I'm less likely to run into the same agent multiple times (although I have) and because my brokerage business is my "second job,' I have no shame in submitting anything for anyone.

There are so many facets to investing I would say it's near impossible to nail down one thing for everyone as a reason to buy or not to buy in a city.I have been fortunate to speak to many investors in other states and recently was a keynote speaker in Brisbane Australia on those subject..