The goal is to refinance with equity after a year and then use the FHA to house hack again.

@Saurabh Kukreja it all depends on what your goals are.

My other thought was to find a flip job for faster cash.Is there other ventures or financing ideas I should be considering?

You can invest in both CA and out of state and experience what works better for you and your lifestyle and goals. 

My goal was to get drafted for baseball, now my goal is to help others and continue my work ethic in real estate.

I think the most important part is a willingness to learn and succeed plus just knowing your goals and pushing forward towards them.Each market has its challenges and PDX area is no different. 

Wishing you great success as you take actionable steps toward your goals!

I think knowing more numbers, heloc limit, plans and objectives for future goals all should play into "what is best".

As long as there are no outstanding repairs, I don't see anything wrong with paying off that loan faster. 

You will have doubts and you will have fear of failure but even if we don’t always reach our goals, the process itself shapes us.