A home financed as a primary residence has to actually be your residence, so this plan is an investment purchase and needs to be financed as one. Owner-occupied loans require you to occupy the home as your principal residence, and you certify that intent in the loan documents. Signing that certification while planning to rent the place out from day one is occupancy misrepresentation, which is mortgage fraud. So buying a home to rent out while you live elsewhere means investment-property financing: a larger down payment and a higher rate than a primary. That matters for the math. When rates are elevated, it's genuinely hard to buy in a high-cost California market, put a sizable down payment in, and still have the property cash flow once you stack taxes, insurance, any HOA, and the mortgage. Buying a rental you don't live in often means accepting negative cash flow for a while, and that only makes sense if you go in with eyes open. A common alternative for people who want to stay in an expensive metro: keep renting where you live and build a rental portfolio in markets where the numbers pencil, using investment-property financing with a meaningful down payment (minimums vary by property type, so confirm current requirements). That path can capture appreciation, principal paydown, and tax benefits, though nobody can promise appreciation on any specific property. Whichever way you lean, run your real qualifying numbers first. That's the free Roadmap conversation: about 20 minutes, and we run your real numbers.