Property Rentals in Bay Area

[Peter Lai]

I currently have 200k for down payment and I’m looking to buy an investment property up to 750k anywhere in the Bay Area from Oakland to Stockton to Fresno. I’m not sure if I should try to shoot for positive cash flow or appreciation (appreciation seems to be at a halt and will not increase as much as the last few years). Although in reading Property Rentals by Brandon Turner, he always shoot for positive cash flow and any appreciation is “icing on the cake.” What are your thoughts regarding: 1) cash flow vs appreciation in Bay Area 2) Single family vs multi family 3) location in Bay Area that works best for the chosen strategy