The gentrification is very much in full force and there are some great properties to be rehabbed.

@Jerry Padilla - please advise)Sell the current SD condo via 1031Purchase a 2-4 unit property in San Diego with a VA loan, using the proceeds from that sale and refinance to cover any down payment (should you go above the  the VA high balance for 0% down) as well as the rehab.Build equity via renters, as well as both forced & market appreciation at your 2-4 unit in SD and your RI property until you're able to pull cash out/trade up and repeat the acquisition process.If it sounds like an option your be willing to consider,; I think you'll definitely benefit from the 'economy of scale,' of sorts, that we tend to see here with returns in San Diego REI.

The underlying gist of it is that the additional cost of a more expensive car can mean being forced to spend a year or two more in the workforce.  

I could see a lot of entry level folks working in those hospitals/universities being forced to go South due to rising rents in West Philly (by 30th Street and beyond) so Grays Ferry would be the natural progression to remain close and have reasonable rents.

@JJ OnoThis is a niche I was kinda "forced" to get into, after spending a decent amount of money on direct mail. 

My background is in Aerospace Engineering and I will eventually be going into the Air Force as a Space Operations Officer.  

I read this article, but this struck me more as a case study: https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2015/04/0...Right now, I live in CA and have a duplex in OR and another duplex in CT (forced to be an out-of-state investor due to home prices in Southern California).

Some call it forced appreciation while others call it you make money when you buy.

This is first because the only home owners who lose over the long term in markets like SF are those that stretch too far financially and are forced to sell at the wrong time or give it back to the bank.Beyond that, I'd identify the sub-markets that seem to have the types of properties you need in budget.

The house hacking idea is good because it allows you to live for free and save money for downpayments but I don't think you should necessarily look at it as a flip.I find that duplexes or other small multi-family don't make great flips because it is harder to force appreciation with them like you can with single family homes.