However, appreciation will put more dollars in your pocket over the long run.The best solution is to find a property with positive cash flow in an appreciating market.

Quote from @Jeffrey Mair: Hello, I am seeking advice or creative ideas to move closer to the goal of owning a home in San Diego county without the obvious solution of selling off my small rental portfolio.

Custom made Bugatti.  

Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal level Learn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are needed Know everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

But not sure the solution which is to provide me teaching/training on how to get off market deals is something I can’t learn without a mentor.

Best regards, Vanja Dimitrijevic.1 - Opting for a cash-out refinance is a more permanent solution and generally offers better terms compared to a HELOC.

Your solution is to increase income or to decrease expenses or both.

I suspect build cost in CA are closer to 400 a foot than 200 like many other areas and of course far higher for the custom homes.

SIH has some marketing gimmick with the Real Estate Guys where they bus unsuspecting retail customers around to the sites to see home being built.

Maybe the solution isnt found in yet another "free".......