I'm starting to build the foundation so that when I get this experience I'll be ready and able to handle the business.  

House hacking is a great start in building your portfolio. 

Regardless of the type of lender you work with, building a trusting relationship is crucial.

You will need to look at CA building code.

The goal is to slowly build a real estate portfolio and get to a point that I can eventually sale my business. 

I am self employed but want to build a spec home using the equity in my house as collateral.

Do we try to just buy a modest house through foreclosure or some other screamin' deal, house hack, then build up our portfolio from there?

They said we have to build new walls because the old walls are directly on the concrete, and this is not allowed.

It’s a solid way to build wealth over time.Good luck!

To set the scene: A cost seg study breaks your property into two important categories:1250 "real" property aka the building, foundation and other long life assets.1245 property aka anything that can be accelerated such as 5, 7, or 15 year property like carpets, cabinets, or other site improvements.