Otherwise, if you don't want to invest in OC for whatever reason, you could go inland a bit.

I'm new to the arena though, so the standard 20% down rates are a bit out of my reach, so I'm looking to be creative with financing.For books, I'm going through Build a Rental Property Empire, by Mark Ferguson, The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by Gary Keller, Rich Dad Poor Dad, a couple of books by Brandon Turner I found here on BP, the ABCs of Real Estate Investing by Ken McElroy, and Investing in Duplexes Triplexes and Quads by Larry Loftis.

I have been doing preliminary research on where might be best to start building a real estate empire, but I am curious on hearing BiggerPockets members thoughts on the pros and cons of each location. 

I need to build my empire on a solid foundation. 

I currently have a land deal that I'm kicking around and I have one of my bird dogs who has a lot of experience in land development helping me analyze it to see if it is something I want to go towards.

Just do not assume investing in land is a good way to do.

Yes, I am looking for someone who will mentor me and create synergies of opportunities.One of my goals is to step out of the "Rat Race" and into something I love and build my empire of Real Estate!

@stan hill yes i love the inland  valley area ive lived in Ontario most of my life its been awsome but hopefully soon i can have the income and the freedom that comes with making good income and having systems that will allow my business to produce without me being physically  present .  

It actually has given a purpose to all of those terrible hours I spend sitting behind the wheel and in So Cal traffic.What I am most interested in at this point is S.F.R. rehab & flips, preferrably in the Inland Empire (encompassing Riverside and San Bernardino counties).

Worth and Orlando) than the Inland Empire.