The  San Francisco Bay area is also experiencing all of the things you're mention, but it has peaked...and is not flat or softening a bit.

Seems to me, they're attempting to soften you up, before you've even started! 

Got no furnaces, central air, water softeners, snow removal, hail insurance,

Private Lending could be another option here but generally requires a degree of experience with what you're lending on.The reason I say all this is I meet a lot of busy higher income earners with W-2's (often who like their day jobs) and sometimes the least amount of risk and headache is going passive with others who have experience.

With Seattle pricing softening a bit, I’m looking at South Park as an investment area.

While demand has softened slightly this year, (due to cruising or overseas travel) the travel industry is confident that next year will be particularly strong due to the opening of Universal’s Epic Universe theme park and new Disney attractions.

Many markets have already seen some softening in REI as fall approaches and interest rates have risen.

I like this route and would add that there are options on the market that don't produce pervasive scents such as pens and edibles to help soften the blow and give them some flexibility. 

Fortunately, we're also seeing home prices soften a bit, some price reductions and longer days on market so we expect those factors will help balance out the others.

The market is continuing to soften and will be great for a cash buyer.