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).  

ONLY purchase training if its with funds you can afford to lose because of the failure rate.making connections is important and where success can come from.

I think asset prices will continue to grow, areas where millennials can buy affordable real estate will be where I'm setting my sights on.  

Before buying or renting in an unfamiliar neighborhood, you should check the following two sites: SpotCrime, AreaVibes,These sites provide valuable information, including Livability Scores, which cover aspects such as crime rates, employment, health, housing, schools, shopping, and more.well, anything can happen anywhere.

For max $200k you can really only afford Hilltop, Franklinton, Linden, Driving/Deshler Park, Whitehall.

I’d recommend looking for a market that’s affordable and has good rental demand—local job growth or proximity to schools can be a sign of a solid investment.

All else being equal, lower mortgage rates reduce the cost of ownership and, thereby, allow more people to afford to buy.

Locations that are a 0-1 hour car ride from san juan to a nice town/city with more affordable areas walking distance to the beach would be interesting as well. 

-Newnan and Dallas: Affordable entry points with strong rental demand.

Current status is that the Dept of Health has not yet issued the Septic Permit yet.