But if you do have a house that sits in expansive soils and are susceptible to shrinking and expanding they can put pressure on the basement walls (exacerbated by frost/thaw cycles) and cause them to crack horizontally.

Would need to know a bit more before giving a specific direction but it is usually best to hang on to your property and not sell whether you expand on it or rent it out and purchase a bigger property.  

I'm broke as a joke but I have good credit how do I get started 

The area is expanding rapidly and I could see this property really going up in value as there is a very limited amount of buildable space between the mountains and the ocean, so I see this as a great investment and I would love to keep it.

We plan to stay in this house for more than 5 years unless another great opportunity arises, but maybe it is best to allocate a bigger portion of savings to our real estate investment savings account than our home improvement savings account for the first few years.

Quote from @Mary Jo Carruthers: Austin metro keeps expanding.

Landlord-tenant regulations are a bit complex in California and getting hands on is the best way to learn before expanding into larger investments. 

Our growth has been entirely organic, driven by word-of-mouth referrals, but we’re now looking to expand our reach to new investors who might be interested in our offerings.I’ve seen and heard a lot about lead magnets (e.g., signing up for an eBook in exchange for an email address) and was wondering if anyone has suggestions on lead magnets that have been particularly effective in converting interested parties into prospects.I’d greatly appreciate any advice or guidance you can share.

I am also a lender, with Chase Bank, but want to expand my knowledge on hard money and private financing options.

The tax advantages of buying/holding gas stations are pretty great.
Many of the components of gas stations including pumps, tanks, external parking areas, and other equipment are classified as either 5 or 15 year pro...