@Crystal Smith - yes your points are all spot on - i struggle with accurately gauging whether i think i will for sure cashflow more in a re-sell scenario vs. the cashflow on a re-fi vs. breaking even on either scenario.as far as house hacking, i listened to the BP podcast w/ Brandon Hall and visited the 1031 forum here and as far as I can tell, i can house hack and my tax consequence is pro rata in relation to the portion i occupy. 

You are spot on.

I've been trying to get a handle on market selection, but for me to be able to do it well, as a part-time investor who has a day job (and then some) feels kind of like picking individual stocks to me.

I plan to post later (separate post) on the overall housing stock, which has aged because of low building volumes in many counties.

Troy Gravett is spot on.

Elk grove is a great spot for rentals, we're seeing pretty high demand from tenants over there.Cheers,Chris

Bottom line is this, if you have one area of urination most professional carpet cleaners can get that spot or a few out.

The stock is drying up here.

I dont have personal experience with either, but I have tried to protect myself from both.My application has a spot on it where they are required to list an emergency contact person who can assist in their move-out if they become deceased, hospitalized (long-term), or incarcerated.  

Hi @April Fletcher,A lot of housing stock in Oakland is very old.