Investing settlement money for cash flow

[Dustin P.]

Hello, I am a low income rural homesteader who lost my home in a Ca. wildfire. I received a settlement check and want to spend about 400k to invest in real estate in order to become financially free. My credit is new and my score is very low but I plan on building it up within a year. My freedom number is $3,000 per month in net income. I have always lived in the foothills of central Ca. and know the area well. I have a construction background and am not afraid to do some repairs or manage for a while but would like to become passive asap. I think investing out of the area might help me to keep myself out of it. If anyone has some advice on how I can quickly construct a portfolio before this money falls though my California pockets?