You picked out a few really good neighborhoods to search because its still cheaper than LA proper but they are growing/changing in a positive manner. 

That way as I grow my business they kind of grow with me.

Also remember that regulations are subject to change and you will need a Plan B if short term rentals are outlawed or if rates and occupancy suddenly drop.

High property taxes are one thing I remember about the area but you have that in Midwest cities as well .

My goal is to create an enterprise that spans real estate and business able to support and grow my team and better my community.

The new high school is slated to be built across the street in 2020, so we anticipate appreciation to grow as we are in the path of progress.  

It seems like this is a multiple offer situation and you coming up to $850k would still keep you in the competition with the other offers.If you still want to keep your offer at 830 remember that would be the final offer you place and there is no going back and revising it.

You know the typical signs to look for over grown grass, tons of newspapers sitting in the driveway, weeds growing over windows, just signs that scream my owners don't care about me, one house even had a few meteor sized holes in the roof.

I've never used private or hard money lenders before but I think I need to take that step in order to move forward and grow my portfolio.

Also, remember that you *can* identify more than three properties (if you really feel like three isn't enough choice or you have a ton of value you'd like to spread around between multiple replacement props) but you have to follow two rules:1.