Needs to have restaurants/bars close by.

Real Estate Broker with a tenured career in the restaurant and hospitality industry.

Additionally, I’m also well connected to many Mexicans who offer high quality, affordable contractor work.

(New carpets, Siding, Paint, maybe just a few appliances) The reason being is that many (many) people seem to forget that rental housing is incredibly hard to come by in small towns or outskirts of cities where the primary industries are medical clinics, restaurants, bars, farms, and factories.

I'll add that proximity to attractions, restaurants, coffee shops, bars etc is a big one.

Being 12 states away would qualify for me and I'd be selling those as well.Instead of buying expensive, competitive, top of cycle-ish assets like houses, maybe buy warehouse, industrial, failed commercial, bar/restaurants, etc that nobody's even thinking of. 

I figure that area might be solid not only because of proximity to Balboa park but close to airport downtown etc.. and walkable to lots of restaurants making it vacationer friendly even if not like PB, La Jolla etc. right on the beach...2) also, are there decent websites or services that can give one typical expected incomes nightly ?

Grocery nearby, restaurants, etc.

R Street Redevelopment http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/news-columns-blog...Some other pluses: Midtown is laid out on a grid system with much of the restaurants, microbrews, art studios, yoga classes, coffee shops located on the center main streets (J,K,L), which means all of the surrounding residences have phenomenal walk scores. 

If you choose to locate in a more ex-urban or rural setting, like Blanco, Wimberly, Johnson City, Stonewall, or anywhere in the Hill Country, you'll have less access to grocery stores, restaurants, etc, but will have privacy gorgeous views and still easy access to Austin or San Antonio.