Let us know what you eventually accept and why. 

He did this for enough years to satisfy the Adverse Possession requirements and eventually sold the property to somebody else with a clear title.Adverse Possession is difficult but is possible under the law.The best advise to you would be to seek out an attorney, in CA who is not only a real estate attorney but one familiar with the Adverse Possession requirements. 

The large expenditures are going to eventually occur for a new roof, new windows, new furnace, etc. 

I realized I don't want to give up my city life (Chicago) to move into a house in the suburbs that would eventually get rented out. 

I realized I don't want to give up my city life (Chicago) to move into a house in the suburbs that would eventually get rented out. 

The reason for going with rentals to start with is to create monthly income to work with on a daily basis (eventually replace my job) as flips may come less frequently or reliably.

I currently work for one of the top manufactured home lenders, but would like to eventually work in real estate full time. 

Just as a suggestion @Melissa Sturges, you may want to consider running your numbers as if you will eventually hire a property manager.Life can change and although you might be OK managing the property for the near future will you feel the same way in 5 or 10 years?

David, I will probably start in Delaware because I know the market there and eventually branch out to New Jersey. 

We eventually settled on a darker floor as we thought it looked more modern and we felt that it would balance with the white counters, and we plan to do a white backsplash eventually too.