Remember, what you need to have is a crystal ball to tell you if sprawling will make this place go high. I witnessed many people fleeing the bay area after selling their condos or houses and getting a good cut of the pie, then, they bought in areas like Fresno, Visalia, Hanford, Porterville, and resell quick, I mean you need to be cautious and time the market or you will end up with nice homes but no income or maybe a loss if rental is your aim. The last ones who arrived there, I met them, totally losers! I told them don't do it, but again, with money in their pockets, they thought flipping was the trend to go.
I think Vallejo was one of the first cities to file for BK or something like that not long ago. But, believe me, as any investor, you have to look out and buy and sell quick. The problem is that we don't know for sure "what's going on" with the market as everything seems to go up, up and up. I guess the law of gravity has to take action one of these days, when? I don't know? Will it happen? I don't know either! 
