In addition, I am researching online real estate courses in order to get a better understanding of the core principles.

Regrettably, their parents knew very little about money, so they couldn’t show them how to take advantage of their situation, which begs the question; are you teaching your kids sound principles about how to use and invest money?

@Jd Martin  I sometimes get a serious case of shinny object syndrome.. but in real estate that can be good thing.. find a market before someone else and exploit it on the run up... there is so much more to real estate than simply buying and renting a SFR or small multi..there is a big wide world out there of opportunites..

In your scenario, I'd make an objective decision based on the following:You need to convert your cash flow to a CoC (cash on cash) return rate, so you can compare that to your borrowing rate.  

Basically, this house wouldn't meet the 1% rule criteria if I were looking at it objectively, so I'm leaning toward selling.   

Beyond the subjective, are there objective tools that can be used to determine whether a retail space is in a good location that will yield future tenants?  

Fernando, the principle of flipping houses applies to any market, however you have to make sure you have a established network (Lending, motivated sellers, comps, etc) find a property that you can pick up for pennies on the dollar and make sure that after you fix it is comparable to market values.Good luck to you.

I dedicated myself to a specific niche for 9 months without getting distracted by the next shiny object and it worked out okay.My second suggestion is to team up with a local investor.

I rarely do more than a few minutes about my investment offer in the first meeting because it's more about knowing what their goals and objectives and experience is rather than the investment I'm looking to raise funds for.This is also a time to get a feel for if you both fit, in terms of temperament and personality.

(Several studies showing desire for "experiences" rather than material objects)Increase in rental prices- Low availability paired with minimum wage hikesDecrease in rental numbers and prices:- Increase in home building- Legislation such as SB1069 driving prices down by increasing available unitsObviously in terms of the Sacramento market I can only imagine there will be continual spill over from the bay area with the ability to work remotely and affordability for first time home buyers (millennials) still relatively low in the bay areaThese are just a few things that come to my mind I would like to know others take on these and other factors.