I am doing everything I can think of right now to raise my score, using velocity banking, selling my Jet ski (asset) to pay off 2 loans, and making arrangements to get my mortgage caught up and on track.

Looking at Carthage, NC for the vacation attraction and development potential (near southern pines and pinehurst golf resort), and Fayetteville, NC (there will always be a need for military and happy to support) .

The attraction for us would be outdoor recreation (mountain biking, skiing, kayaking).

Drive a 400hp Tundra today so I can get to my mountain ski condo investment property. 

Is it close to skiing?

If by some crazy hapenstance it does kill us all, or collapse the CA economy, or whatever the outcome, there's very little we can do to stop it anyway, hence the reason the local gov resorted to a hefty daily fine. 

I've crunched numbers and I'd only use a Hard money guy as a last resort.

Because I’m not there yet physically, I’ve been resorting to Redfin/Zillow to try and get a sense of where these sort of properties are and what they sell for.

I stay in NC for all of the reasons that you mentioned in your post:  the weather is nice (though it snowed yesterday), cost of living is low, property taxes are low, employment is strong, education is strong, the beaches and mountains are both within a few hours drive (but no good snow skiing).  

I bought a few condo's up at Silver star in B/C back in 2000 and had I held them they would be pretty good vacation rentals.. with loonie low to us dollar I think I was in them in the 35k range and they were ski in ski out.