The appreciate has been incredible over the last few years.

This would be incredible for my situation if this is how it works. 5) Because I have no source of consistent income, would I be able to add my parents to the loan and use their income to compensate for the DTI requirement?

Rent is incredibly high in my area (southern CA) and there are hardly any properties available that fit my needs available.

It's not something that can be done "on the weekends".Property management is also an incredibly broad field; You have to know a lot of stuff about a lot of stuff.

Seems risky even in this environment.

They give incredible service and I'd highly recommend them. 

With a 25+ year horizon, it's virtually zero-risk as well.Investing in property takes significantly more effort and has quite a bit more risk, but as a result, the returns can be a lot higher. 4% appreciation feels pretty high to me, but having someone else pay down your mortgage while also creating cash flow is incredibly powerful.

This all sounds incredibly bizarre, with a lot of missing information.

During this very unique social environment, I have had a lot of opportunity to think about what I want in life and the direction that it's going. 

This is incredibly difficult.