What Are The Best Areas In California To Invest? & Out of State Questions

[Jordan Budke]

Hi guys, 

I'm a condo owner and resident of San Diego County. I'm currently working on paying off my debts and improving my credit scores, but have the long-term goal of using the equity in my condo to begin my investing journey. 

Are there any areas in CA that are good for investing? If so, where would you recommend to a rookie investor?

Prices in CA, specifically in my SD area, are prohibitive. We live in a 1bd 1bth with little ability to upgrade without spending $500k+. 

Investing in-state would be convenient if possible. I've considered the possibility of buying a small mountain cabin (1.5-2 hours away) to rent as an AirBnB but question if that is wise to start out with.

Otherwise, I'd love direction on places to invest other than CA. I've looked mostly in the midwest and southern states, such as IN, OH, IL, KS, MO, TN, AR, TX, MS, AL, GA, SC. So many areas. It's tough to know where to focus on and how to build a team.