The OP is not a newbie.So here is what I believe about the San Diego market:Historically it has produced outstanding long-term returns. 

If you've ever bought a house for yourself, you probably didn't put together a spreadsheet of all the costs of home ownership (if you did, you're way ahead of the rest of us) - a SFH doesn't normally produce income, so it will always be in the negative.

If you are a real estate agent without a portfolio of your own buy/hold investments, please don't solicit to me.Not sure this idea is going to produce any sort of interest, but hey, it's what I have to offer :)

Damian Curtis @ Curtis ContractingDaniel Fessler @ Compound ConcreteAlan @ Innovative ElectricalBrett Monika @ Kilter Mechanical

The high LTV results in even low appreciation producing outstanding returns. 

Most lenders in the commercial space don't really look at you as much as the property and the income it produce.

The right steps done repeatedly will produce the right results, period.  30 isn't "late to the game" unless you spend a lot of time of Insta and TikTok (which makes it feel like 22 is late to the game sometimes), but rather you are in a great position. 

I have gotten great deals by being able to close in Nov or Dec when a seller wanted the sale before the end of the tax year.  

I recently saw an article on here about Maximizing ROI on renovations, and while the article was super helpful, it got me thinking: what specific renovations have you found produce the most bang for your buck?  

@Jamall Steele Brian Elam at Innovative Closing Solutions is the guy to talk to