I am wondering how much expected weather of an area impacts your decision to invest in a specific area.Recently looked at Census data which shows that people are predominantly moving to Florida and Texas.

Prices a few years ago were based on expectations of (in addition to interest rates staying low): - Then current operating cost assumptions (like insurance cost expectations being flat)- A seeming disregard for record levels of new inventory / supply hitting the market- Extremely high inbound migration expectations which are likely to not be met, due to both natural disasters and the boomerang effect when people from California or the Northeast move to the American South and hate every minute of the humidity, the large and relentless swarm of insects, and the occasional hurricane. 

Verifying last 2 years of rental history and income extremely important to find the “best of the worst”.Make sure you understand the Class of properties you are looking at and the corresponding results to expect.The City of Detroit has 183 Neighborhoods we’ve analyzed.DM us if you’d like to discuss this logical approach in greater detail!

And hydraulic is a force that's very extreme. 

I wanted to know if there was anything other than the weather that drew people to California.

Tornado, wind, hail, flooding if in a low spot, general weather related.

We were initially looking out of state for a potential move and or investment property just because the property taxes without being able to homestead, plus high cost of insurance, and harsh weather on homes made me feel like it might not be worth it.

That said, even with conservative rental income estimates, my living expenses would eventually drop to several hundred dollars less than what I’m currently paying in rent once the house hack starts generating income.I do have cash reserves to weather some rough patches, but the idea of pushing my budget this hard makes me uneasy.

The best ideas are the ones that make financial sense.One opinion...hope this helps (and that you're warm in this crazy weather we're having here in Florida).Best.

I'm in Phoenix and obviously you can see that there are so many people moving from the west coast states out here to a cheaper and better weather market.