Rental property in Bay Area or outside CA

[Harish Maiya]

Howdy BP folks

First time investor, I am looking for a rental SFH/townhomes for mid/long term buy & hold with decent appreciation and cash flow.

Preference is to Silicon valley where i live, but considering over heated market here, think investing nearby may not be possible for my budget (about $450K)

However there are few areas like Richmond, Stockton/Tracy in this price point, but not much upsides there. Further east Sacramento, Reno is not cheap either.

Searching for options outside CA (via roofstock) 

Atlanta - Up & coming, tech presence & University 

Jacksonville/Orlando - good inflow of millennials, vacation crowd 

Dallas/San Antonio/Houston - up & coming, tech presence, but high property rates.

I need inputs on few points.

1. Inside or Outside Silicon valley? And Selection of places 

2. Remote property managers. Trust and can I breakeven/profit from the setup? (Roofstock has some help here)

3. Am i better of investing through realtyshares/fundrise or even S&P? My plan to leverage on lower mortgage rates.

Please share your thoughts.