As for LA, yeah, the grass is always greener...

And, maybe it's just me, but I always crave more hard details both in posts here and in the most awesome RE podcast on the planet.  

Its not like a retirement nest egg where people end up spending a portion of it every year and having to wonder if they're going to out-live it.As an investor with 30+ homes, my rental income will eventually reach the point, once the homes are all paid off, that I'll be making more money off the rentals than I'll need.So, while the big picture in using sfh's to get you to that lofty income goal (and 400k is pretty lofty) may seem a bit daunting, the fact is that sfh's are probably one of the few investment vehicles on the planet that us regular people can get into at a relatively low cost of entry (I'm picking up 140k houses for a total of 5 to 6k out of my pocket) that can truly generate the kind of life changing wealth most of us aspire to have.The key is picking a pace you can handle and working the deals.

It allows me to stay in a field I enjoy without worrying about the "grass is greener" mentality that sometimes plagues job hoppers-

Unfortunately, the grass is not greener on the other side 99.9% of the time. 

You must be a fellow citizen of "Planet Dan." 

You have to work for what you make on this planet.

Before you go seeking greener pastures out of state, I'd advise talking with a few successful local investors and see how they operate ... perhaps they can open your mind to the possibilities all around you in your own backyard.  

I am originally from Birmingham, Alabama and graduated from the best school on the planet, The University of Miami "The U". 

Like anything in life- some guests are fantastic people and renew my faith in the STR system as well as humanity, some seem like they are from another planet and have insane expectations.Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?