@Gabriel Ortiz ,I'm not sure if flipping, as suggested above, is the best way to start in RE in the Bay, as it involves a certain level of knowledge about estimating known and unknown rehab expenses, after-repair value, and oftentimes more capital and short-term borrowings to get done (especially here!).

I'd argue this is because the unknowns matter a lot more (have the pipes been stolen?

If people see you are willing to put in the work and take risks (and not just "learn", because despite everything you learn, you'll have to learn the specific details of your deal when the time comes; and a common denominator with successful people is they put there head down and charge into the unknown, and come out the other side with the knowledge they didn't have going in) they will be willing to invest time and effort into helping you succeed.FULL DISCLAIMER: I'm not yet successful in RE.

@Ferrode Joseph- thanks ...if possible - invest  somewhere you have  familiarity or  connection in as this will  help you  with the unknown issues and problems that arise in the  future  (  eg. 

Hi,I recently started wholesaling properties. I found a data base that provided the address, mortgage balance outstanding, and property type. However, they didn't provide the property owner's name (an extra fee is req...

It's super comforting knowing that someone like Pace has my back when treading into unknown waters in my business.

No reason to fret over unknowns.

@Shanese FrancisI recommend to always know what your doing in case that happens.but avoiding taking action it’s not an option.things can always happens,we can’t let unknowns backing us off in life .and what the hell will happen in 2019,it’s a big unknown.

It’s hard to find an investment that returns a better ROI than House Hacking (even if cashflow is negative).There are so many unknowns when buying a house in any market cycle.

Just a rough look at the numbers I would draw a hard line in the $145K range based on 1) unknowns of what you might come across, 2) what the city of Salem might require from you (permits, outstanding amounts, etc.), 3) the high monthly carrying costs and 4) not having a solid ARV.Looking at the auction rules, a few items to keep in mind:1) A 25% non-refundable down payment is required for all cash sales and land sale contracts and must be received within one hour of the end of the sale.