Also, 6 months reserves is a great rule of thumb, and some lenders require that as proof as well.We do have an arrangement with Helix Mattresses where I can +/- 50% off retail with free shipping on all mattresses. 

Do you need a certain amount of cash flow, are renovations required, how many bedrooms, etc4)who’s your ideal tenant, if you’re renting out?

If the city is ok with STR's, I then check to see what permits are required for STR operation.

I have a full time job that pays around 170k excluding stock options (which I would like to retain as a separate investment for now but I am open to use that for real estate if required).

If the property is tenant occupied, you should require your tenants to have renters policies and lastly and just as important as the insurance you obtain is knowing all vendors you rely upon to perform work at the property and on your behalf are properly insured.

The specific height has to be composed with the area and body of water.

Creditors and lenders are not required by law to report to credit bureaus.

You'll likely want to start with reviewing the requirements under Prop 19 for retention of the base assessed value when adding a child to title, and also look up the rules for a basis step-up at death. 

I would base this on your numbers, not sellers (seller financials are one of the biggest jokes of this industry), and your return requirements.

Also Zelle doesn't allow for the ability to individually enable/disable a tenant in the system.Money orders require driving over to pick up, or the tenant sending them late and then the late fee issue is still there.