HELP I live in California

[Seung Oh]

Hi everyone,

I need some advice! I am nurse in California and I worked pretty hard to save a down payment for a house in the bay area.  I am pretty close to saving up for that 200k down payment for a million dollar house in south San Jose.  However, I am realizing that the rent is a lot cheaper than the mortgage and I don't know if I really trust this real estate market/ bubble.  I don't feel comfortable going all in and hoping the real estate market here continues forever! I am hoping to put half of my savings into stock and use the other half into rental properties in other states.  

Any advice on how to get started and where? I like the Durham, NC area but it seems they have already gone up in price quiet a bit.  Any advice or recommendation would be great, thanks!