But I am still operating with the mindset I had when I got the first house - basically get pre-approved first and then look for the best house you can afford.

Use value-add property locally (and take advantage of the excellent appreciation rates) to fuel your BRRRR/long-term buy and hold investments in other areas that afford you more cash flow.

There are also good neighborhoods nearby to pick up some investment properties, although 1% rule is going to be tough to hit and the $350-450k price range is going to be slim pickings and highly competitive (due to the affordability issue here the entry-level price range is far and away the highest demand market segment).

What is best/most affordable RVM system on market ?

There is great value in buying property, but in major metropolitan areas, I do not think there are many opportunities in these areas as of now (except in Chicago where affordability is rather low for a big city).

But if you can ONLY afford cheap high crime I’d venture you don’t... no offense. 

I encourage people to buy as many "doors" as they can afford. 

Buy yourself something you can live with for the next 5-10 years and can afford on your own if you need to and then rent out a couple of rooms.

How do we build more affordable housing in California?

Hi Jinyu,Depending on the lender they take a 30-40% of your total pre-tax income and take that number and tell you thats how much you can afford.