I purchased a PreREO deal from them about 4-5 months ago. 

@John Lasher If you are still looking to spend $20k-$30K for a coach, I would be happy to take you up on that offer :) For full disclosure,  I will share with you precisely what you can learn online/ perhaps even entirely through these BiggerPockets Forums but that doesn't address the reason why most are still unable to purchase larger assets: creditworthiness and capital relationships.

A home equity loan seems like a possible way to expand my portfolio, would consider buying a multifamily and renting out our current home to live in one of the units and purchase it as a primary home (assuming its 4 units or less), but being in the Santa Cruz CA area, I am afraid I'll need to look outside of CA for any deal that makes sense, and can't afford to lose my great job (can't work remotely).  

You are interested in a certain market to use the BRRRR (Buy, Rehab, Rent, Refinance, and Repeat) method to purchase property.To find these properties, you asked how many Realtors you would contact in that area.Honestly, most Realtors do not speak investor language and are not investors themselves.

Quote from @Michael Overall: Good day, If an investor has 10 rentals and wanted to over time sell them and put the money tax free from a 1031 toward a large purchase is there a process to do that? 

I can help with the refinance to pull equity out, but no the purchase, as 99% of the industry won't finance mobile homes. 

Purchase price: $185,000 Cash invested: $5,000 Sale price: $220,000 Occupied by my in-laws.

So I want purchase it as my first rental property it's going to need rennovations for sure not terrible shape just older rancher home.

Platforms like BiggerPockets, local REI meetups, and Facebook groups can connect you with investors seeking opportunities.Joint Venture Partnerships: Consider partnering with a seasoned developer or investor who can provide the capital while you contribute your vision and operational effort.Hard Money Loans: If you’ve identified a property, some hard money lenders may fund the purchase and development based on the future value (ARV) of the project.Crowdfunding Platforms: Sites like Fundrise, Groundfloor, and RealtyMogul cater to real estate developments and could be a great way to gather capital.Seller Financing: If the land seller is open to it, negotiate terms to finance the purchase directly with them.2.

I haven't had a client who has purchased investments in lawton in a while.