@Kris Lai@Mark PedrozaThank you both for your comments and input.

@Benjamin Quaye I agree with @Nathan G. - there are too many factors involved for anyone on here to point you in the right direction.

@Benjamin Quaye it really depends on the Lender.

@Benjamin Quaye how can I help you?

If you want rude.....go into the DMV in LA.......I could stop right thereBut add this twist.....Do it the day after the San Francisco Giants have beat the LA Dodgers...........While wearing a San Francisco 49ers Jersey...........That will get you rude.

LA is a great market for equity but you don't have to do it here.

@Jeffrey Anderson Gil it depends on where you need to get to for work and how far you are willing to commute, a duplex under $500k in a good area of LA is asking a lot. 

I have a 100k nest egg that I want to use to invest or buy a home and the price of real estate in LA is astronomically high, even if I want to house hack.

I guess I don't have to househack, as nothing I can afford in LA is in the vicinity of where I work, and barely anyone approves FHA loans her, but the way I understand it, is that the bank gives you much better loan options if you purchase to own, as opposed to purchasing to purely invest?

@Lais Vang great thanks for the suggestion.