OldShooter
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Consider yourself shot.... Both houses are in the Bay Area. (Note: Personally, I think that the second house can be considered as AA diversification (you can shoot at me here )) ...
Seriously, as an investor the Bay Area is probably the last place in the country I would choose for a real estate investment. By all accounts the prices are bubbling. (Remember the rule: If something can't go on forever, it won't.) Lots of negative price pressure including that CA and especially the Bay Area are bleeding high-income workers and companies. The partial population backfill of immigrants will not have the ability to buy expensive housing for a long time, maybe never. The only population boom in SF appears to be the homeless. Oh, and we may be looking at a recession for a few years here.
From the tone of your posts it sounds like your mind is made up, but notice that you are not getting much affirmation here. For good reason.
Best of luck to you.