He told me that he owned a couple large mobile home parks in town and that's what started everything for me.

Quote from @Jared Haxton: Hi BP Community,I own a 2-bed/2-bath condo in Prescott, AZ (near Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, hospitals, and medical facilities), and I’m exploring selling it via seller financing.

If you go into Central or South Scottsdale (Old Town) $1M will buy you a smaller, older home, OR half of a big, remodeled home (as alot of the Arcadia and Old Town area are turning over old small homes to be big beautiful homes in the $2.5M range and higher).There are options.....for both buying and renting, that would work with your situation.By the way....it's 51 degrees in North Scottsdale right now where I live. 

The best way for you to figure this out is visit the platforms and explore their free trial (if offered).

Instead, you could explore pulling equity out through a home equity line of credit (HELOC) or a cash-out refinance.

@Ryan Pham The 60 freeway is also a pretty sharp divide in that area of town.

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.

There’s a boatload of affordable housing across the country in small towns.

(I distinguish this from towns where you can do Airbnb but only because there's no law whatsoever.)

Once you’ve built some confidence and systems, you can start exploring additional markets.I personally focus on 2 markets that are about 20 mile radius.Make sure the market(s) you choose align with your investing goals, whether that’s cash flow, appreciation, or both.