I realize the experience of investing in real estate is different for everyone, but my comment concerning planning centered around the planning processes our families went through over a period of years to strategically acquire residential and commercial properties from north of The Bay Area all the way down to San Diego. We were buying when others wondered why.

As you said, joe, global competition really did not exist at that time as it does now, and, imo, younger people, like the OP, would be wise to proceed with caution.