I have been learning from the podcasts and now it's time to get some help with the direction I am heading.I am the "Motorcycle Appraiser".  I am a licensed appraiser and am moving to be a RE Agent.  I have taken the c...

Huge fan of the food, nighttime activities, and marina bay sands! 

I currently live in Germany, but I'm originally from Schenectady, NY, and also lived in the San Francisco Bay Area for quite a few years, among other places.Soon I'd like to come back to the States and buy, restore, and hold a small multifamily (2- to 4-plex), living in one of the units and renting out the other(s).I'm not committed to a location, but areas I'm considering (where I have some ties) include:- NY Capital District (Schenectady, Albany, Troy, Saratoga) - New Orleans, LA - Austin, TX - Denver, CO- Bay Area, CA Some of these (Bay Area, Denver, Austin) are probably much too competitive/expensive to be realistic, and I'm definitely open to other livable, growing cities as well. 

Hey Bill, I wanted to reach out to your post and give you a general feel on what I am seeing in the Bay Area.

There are several members on here that are from the San Jose area, and other parts of the bay area.

I have been researching Tampa Bay area and based on what I am finding blows Lexington Kentucky rentals out of the water. 

@Travis McCarthy   I don't know your area at all.... not sure if its like SF BAY Area were Chinese buyers  will pay 2 million cash for a home that rents for 5k a month..But foreigners are not investing as blindly as they have in the past.. having been burnt so bad in buying low end rentals through out the mid west and north east.Your in a completely different price point of course so owner occ is the logical buyer.Now I have done the commission increase with success before ..

Nevertheless, the Bay Area market is unsustainable for other reasons and purchase price to salary rates and growth demographics is a huge consideration for me as well.

Although my primary focus is to stay local and invest in the Bay Area.Since you are located in Cupertino, perhaps you would be interested in chatting more over lunch sometime.

The Bay Area market still has some potential in outlying areas like Vallejo and parts of Sacramento...but still falls short of the 1% rule until you move to multi-families and I imagine the neighborhoods will be a little borderline for most people in the country.Vallejo-SFR-$200,000 and up----Rent-$1400-1500SacramentoSFR-$160,000 and up----Rent $1200-1300@Jeff S.