The inventory of available homes is rising, bring us back to a more balanced approach where buyers buying and sellers selling are on more equal footing.

All things equal, 100 doors at one location is better than 100 doors at 10 different locations because of economy of scale.

You’ll get equal or better appreciation in the other good Oakland neighborhoods suggested. 

In my experience (1st, 2nd, etc....hand, which is why I don't invest in multifamily, is you really need to have your income (cash flow) equal to at least 150% of what you need per year to make sure that on any (?)

@Todd Powell, if the house you are selling is in your name then you must take title to at least an equal amount of real estate also in your name. 

When purchasing/financing a property out of state, if all else is equal, is it better to go through a local bank or CU in the area of the property or would it be better to go through a bank near where I live?

They typically want to see a net worth equal to the loan amount and a certain % of liquidity.

Would it be pari passu if there was an unequal investment by the sponsor (or the "co-invest" is not equal)?

Personally, if I am going to leverage, my formula is: PITI (principle/interest/taxes/insurance)+maintenance + vacancy + capex  *equal to or less than* monthly rent * 50% . 

A manager can cost you 10% of the rent but a tenant can cause damages equal to 50% of a year's rent if you don't know what you're doing.