Within another 5 years I had used them all up as rents increased rapidly and interest expense decreased.

So far my thought process has been to do a somewhat superficial scan of various markets and put out feelers on BP about where people have had success ... i'm sure if done right you could succeed in most markets.

There are many areas that have HOA rules changing rapidly in our area so just be sure you or your agent does their research so you can avoid any headaches in the future.

I am seeing this area grow and expand rapidly and I am enjoying investing and helping others invest in this current market. 

Homes are still selling fairly rapidly if priced right.  

If you are looking for units, Downtown Riverside area, Eastside (but it is hit and miss), University area (also hit and miss), Canyon Crest (hard to find), Ramona area, La Sierra, Arlanza (hit and miss).If you are looking to go outside of Riverside city, I would look at Perris, Perris is rapidly becoming a logistics hub with a large Amazon distribution center with several large name companies having the same in the area (Lowes, SEKO, Walgreens, Deckers, Ross, General Mills, Hanes, Wayfair, Starcrest, Home Depot, Clayton Homes. 

@Aaron Gordy condos also have not seen the rapid increase in value that SFR and MFR have so they remain reasonably priced.

I was originally planning on finding a multi family and renting it out. my goal for my first property to eventually pay for itself and maybe even have a slight positive monthly net income, but even then Multi families get bought out rapidly. the real estate agent Ive been working with recommended using a 203k to fix up a property and suggested doing a house flip with a single family. flipping wasn't my original plan but it seems possible, but I get worried about the monthly payments for the whole first year before I can sell it and my abliltiy to sell it with the market being unstable and possible crash coming.

Keep in mind this business is all about details, so referencing or following the wrong statute(s) can be dangerous.

Market saturation and comparable property type(s) can also be responsible for lower revenue totals here on the Island.