suggestions on how to achieve cash flow and have place to stay few months in a year   (probably duplex / multi plex and have one unit for me )  Hawaii areas STR is very challenging to make cash flow with current prices/mrtgtrue, still checking the ideas.... probably long shot ,not sure if its worth digging. what do you suggest for investment purposes 

It has led me to so many more ideas and creativity on what I know want to do with Real Estate but also how to help other people understand the complexities of the game.

Of course, with all things, the answers to all these matters will depend on the circumstances.California tends to have more laws on the books and requirements and restrictions that it can be a good idea to form a CA LLC for out of state property so that you as a CA resident are covered, and to try to have your contracts fall under the purview of CA courts.

That'll give you an overall idea for the lay of the land around here so to speak.

I have a hard time overcoming that idea...I just don't typically trust people especially when money is involved.

If you had put that $100,000 into any local real estate of your own do you have any idea the type of gains you'd have over four years.Do not send your money to investment promoters of any kind that you learn about in podcasts, on the internet, social media, etc.

If a tenant fails to meet their financial commitments, it can place significant financial strain on the property owner (that's you @Todd Hotes) and also since these tenants are harder to find in some cases, can leave you facing a tough debt service when vacant.However unlike residential, these leases tend to be longer 5, 10 years etc. so investors who approach a hands off approach tend to gravitate to NNN... a great idea considering e-commerce and AI, our firm is interested in data centers and distribution centers.

I really love the idea of house flipping, but I think it is too breathtaking.

Looking for deals out of state may not be a bad idea, although I would not recommend it for a new investor unless you have good knowledge and have had time to study the market you want to invest in.Another option is to tweak your strategy a bit, and instead of looking just at the cash flow, you look more at appreciation, which brings me to your comment about having missed the boat.

Bought my primary residence in 2019 and been practicing the BRRRR method (more or less, currently in the process of turning it into a short term rental here in the Santa Cruz, CA area.