I'm trying to decide what my next strategy is to maximize potential of my duplex and parlay that into building my real estate portfolio in order to create wealth.

If your property is in Huntington Beach, and you don't have a ton of equity, I'd wager your property isn't insured for anything close the the loan value.

The Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates that must be used when working on the set of the gov/public works projects makes this approach more cost efficient and yield excellent profits for the pre-fab co. 

I would wager it maybe is the same thing that your referencing to as "remodelers." 

Assuming I pull the trigger, what are good steps to take to parlay this deal into another one in the near future? 

Not the end of the world if you were able to parlay your cash out into a new home (look at it as the cost of doing business), but it's a cost you need to factor in.Sounds like you're in a great positionBest of luckStephanie

The career path of the founder reveals how she parlayed her experience as a Wall Street analyst and reporter for the Wall Street Journal into her present role as the executive producer and managing editor of her own TV show.Back in the 2000s, a real estate investor who had done a couple of successful real estate deals decided she wanted to meet other locals doing real estate and started the San Jose Real Estate Investors Club (the club still exists, but the founder has moved on).

Investing in stocks alone probably won't do it if you are earning an average wage. Real

As for strategy.  1031 all the way, and I plan to parlay into multifamily elsewhere. 

I have purchased and wholesaled three properties through tax-sales and am now planning to expand into fix and flips, and eventually parlay and partition the profits into a separate business to invest in rentals.