I have recently been comparing apartment investment opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area to Southern California. The Bay Area (and especially Silicon Valley, The Peninsula and San Francisco) is offering very low rates of return. Also decent investment properties are hard to come by with lots of buyers chasing deals.
These same dynamics are also happening in west Los Angeles. This area is in huge demand causing cap rates to be very compressed.
Alternatives to these areas are southern LA county and most parts of Orange County.
Solid, stable apartment buildings can be purchased in the low $200 per foot range. Fourplexes routinely can be found in the $700,000 price range for 3,500 square foot buildings in decent areas.
There are also great coastal locations with apartment buildings perfectly suited for 1031 exchanges. These premier locations can provide great rental rates and occupancy with potential owner-user unit allocations.
