Remember real estate is generally a long term investment and plan accordingly.

If I was in your position I would look to air bnb or VRBO the property you purchase in San Diego this way you will have less negative cash flow than if you were to rent it out to a long term tenant. 

Tenant Base - Contractors, NNN lease structure, 2-5 years lease term

I'm particularly passionate about Mid-term and Long-term Rentals.Outside of real estate, I enjoy reading and going to concerts.Excited to learn and connect with you all!

Long story short, I went from 7 residential rentals to acquiring 4 commercial assets for my fund within the past 14 months since joining his group.Conclusion/Advice1) It really depends on the goals you have and identifying what you feel like is holding you back from your dream outcome.

We would like to start building our portfolio with a long term rental, preferably a duplex, using a property manager.

My wife and I are considering getting into real estate, possibly short-term rentals.

There are several notable Non-QM lenders that offer reasonable terms on 5-8 units and very strong borrowers (with half the networth of the amount they're seeking to borrow) can go up to 29 units. 

The first is short-term rental properties.

HELOC are best for short term due to variable rates.