Now, my wife and I are planning to begin our journey with SFR investing.

This would be a great way to hold one another accountable while forming a great network.I am a right at the beginning of my real estate investing journey and I think it would be beneficial to have others in the group around the beginning of their journey. 

@Theresa Harris you bet!

The books, blogs, and podcasts will help steer you in the right direction on your REI journey and help you know what questions you should be asking  here in the forums.Best of luck!

Your best bet is to get a seat at the table with the actual owner and negotiate. 

@Huimin Zhang I agree with other posters, you are making a big bet on price appreciation in Mountain View.

Maybe it's something you learned along your journey or maybe it's something someone else shared with you.What is your one piece of advice for a newbie just starting out?

My wife helped a plumber/HVAC friend do his 2018 tax return.His W-2 was $100k not to mention the self employed income from his side jobs& I bet he doesn't have a student loan.

Good luck on your journey, your investments and your career. 

As far as appreciation goes, depends on where you buy and what happens in the future, but LA would be a safer bet for meIf you find a place in LA that fits your budget, you love it, and the math works, go get it. maybe you'll find a SFH with an ADU - or opportunity to add one.