@Brandon Stelling As a military veteran with 100% VA disability benefits, you can leverage VA home loans to purchase properties with no down payment, no PMI, and favorable terms, including multi-family properties for house hacking. 

With substantial equity in your Fort Worth rental, a cash-out refinance could free up funds to purchase additional properties.

We also have a very strong rental market, and that too has high demand from investors wanting to purchase. 

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).  

Purchase price: $75,000 Cash invested: $10,000 Sale price: $120,000 This is a 2 bedroom 1 bathroom single family detached house is South Georgia.

Is this purchase on the MLS or through a turnkey company? 

For example one property I purchased 4 years ago was a two family townhouse. 

My plan is to set up a syndication fund with Canadian (and U.S) investors to purchase short-term rental properties in the Puerto Vallarta and Rivera Nayarit area (which is booming).

Since you purchased your primary recently and in Houston, I personally am bearish on your appreciation potential.

I look to achieve the 1% rule when purchasing although in the current market it’s not a guarantee of cash flow.