I know my way around a construction site, weather small or big. 

(Source: https://earthquaketrack.com/v/sf/recent).Extreme weather like the recent hurricanes and flooding in Houston and Florida, the earthquakes in Las Angeles and Mexico City, and fires throughout Los Angeles, Washington and Oregon will get increasingly common according to new scientific research. 

I lived in Southern California for over 15 years and although I miss the weather, I prefer living in Austin and vacationing with all my extra money in California and other spots (during July and August). 

Feel like relocating to FL and getting out of that cold weather?

Talk to your 401k provider or an attorney to confirm weather it is or not, and if it is take appropriate steps to correct it. 

My wife and I have stable careers that pay well and we can weather a dip in RE.I know that I can do something with the equity in these homes, I’m just not sure how best to go about it, which is why I’d like to hear your advice.

How little you get in real estate for 1 million USDBUT if the weather got markedly better and real estate dropped in half I would move there immediately The people are fantastic and crime is basically nonexistent GREAT city for sure and Banff I mean come in it is amazing 

Sorry, couldn’t resist 😉

However, you will have to have lawyers, judges and the town sheriff involved to finally get them out if they resist.

The only way to get your numbers down is to pull the permit yourself and hire the subs but you need to get a super involved and I recommend you cut him in the deal and give him a bonus if he builds it quicker.Based on what you are saying I believe the path of least resistance would be to sell the land with a “permit ready” set of plans.