To get started, consider focusing on house hacking in California with properties like duplexes or single-family homes with ADUs, or explore out-of-state rentals in landlord-friendly markets like Ohio or Georgia.

One piece of advice I often repeat is that the goal of diversification is to reduce or eliminate any single point of failure.  

Quote from @Dennis Bragg: Hey Josh, thanks for jumping in with such a bold approach.. it’s not every day you see someone your age pushing for a luxury twist on a single family rental.

If you house hack a single family residence by renting out  a room or two then you would have no property tax but if you buy a duplex you might have to pro-rate the property tax.  

I don't sell single-family homes or any other types of property, though I do own other commercial real estate.If you're looking to invest in multi-family properties, it's crucial to work with an agent who specializes in that market.

Refrigerators aren’t typically expected in Texas single-family rentals, and it may be the same in Georgia.For other appliances, buying new is usually the better choice.

Then later on purchase homes with cash (single family homes), I would like to learn how to read the market and know where a state or city is thriving but also learn where it's not.

Single family house renting in Goodyear AZ.

Ideally, I’d stick with a single market, but the numbers in Houston didn’t make sense anymore, and I didn’t want to buy another short-term rental.

We even (I still can't believe it) had a person stay in one of our units that is about $350 a night, who bought EVERY SINGLE PACKAGE (Romantic, Birthday, Breakfast, and Pizza/Smores Kit) and spent $1000 in packages alone.