I was worried about every little thing, and wasted a lot of time and money going through that emotional roller coaster.  

I have become better at speculating the longer I'm in the business, but it's still a roller coaster. 

Went to Monterey County not even in prime coaster towns I found anything that is not junk is at $900-950K.

I've lived in California and have seen that roller coaster ride before.On the other hand, you could take that equity and buy rental real estate in locations where returns are better. 

You can read how I quit my CPA gig to buy large apartment buildings by clicking here: I quit my CPA Job to buy Large Apartment BuildingsI equate large apartment buying to a VERY intense roller coaster ride.Not the "kiddie" ride.Not the ride that just goes up and down.Not the ride that does a loop and done.The type of ride I am speaking of is very fast paced, can be thrilling, many moving parts, has ups, downs, turns, can be gut wrenching, sometimes the ride goes backwards, sometimes the track ahead falls apart and you need to take or make a detour.Sometimes the ride comes to an abrupt end and you feel empty inside with a thought of "that's it - this ride sucked and the seller info was crap what was I thinking”.Or sometimes the last ride was a total buzz kill and you have thoughts of never wanting to do the ride again.Trust me – I have had all of these emotional triggers and I am sure as my real estate investing career continues the ride will always have twists and turns.As a CPA I really get into the numbers and ask lots of questions.

After that, you're on a roller coaster ride at the mercy of market conditions, political climate, and "acts of God."

Looks like a kiddie-coaster at best. 

It can be a fun roller coaster, I hear.

Now, the only thing I am confused about is which location should I choose and also should I ride this appreciation roller coaster?

Last year was a roller coaster had 4 evictions.