Get to know people and start spreading the word about your company. 

As a general rule on a single unit property, as the price goes up, the spread between rent and market value becomes greater.  

But at least in the Bay Area, they are definitely being helped by the non-permanent forces (one might say a temporary, targeted stimulus) of a tech boom & historically boom-time unemployment (3.2% in SF), foreign buyers, low inventory (below a month in many areas), and the crazy low rates that have been sustained for so long (down 300bp from 2006), with few other places to put the money to get yield (yield & spread compression for Fed to push everyone into risk assets).

This way you get to spread your equity between two properties and the lender gets to fund two deals.

The boyfriend in the mix is a big factor on where you want to live decisionIf you did not have the boyfriend to contend with I would just go to Florida  to invest and be with your family and they would be your feet on the ground for youI think a JV with the one partner or even 2 would be very good for a first deal  You are not in it on your own and you have opinions to share and work to spread around

With oil prices down and population numbers slowly going down and or spreading to other parts of the state lenders are being tight on their loan requirements.

If the tenants are more spread out they are probably more likely to get along.

I haven't seen any spread (ARV-PP) go as far as 250k but I have seen a couple of 200k.

Great spread sheet. 

You may think they are getting excited, but what is actually happening is they are questioning (a) do you really have firm plans in place, and (b) are you over committing and spreading your resources too thin.