There are 12000 homes in my little area of Southern California and currently 8 are for sale and likely will be pending within a week.

There will be plenty of time and opportunity to step it up after you've acquired some experience and profit.You wanna stay liquid as much as possible at all times. 

There are opportunities for both residential and commercial properties, and the state's economy has been relatively stable, making it an attractive option for investors.Thank you for your service in the Navy, and I wish you all the best in your real estate investing journey!

Possibly buying a home that is for sale by owner.  

Although keeping the low rates makes sense, you are also losing out on the opportunity cost of not getting into other properties.

There are some great opportunities in the Ohio markets.

It offers a host of vocational and trade schooling opportunities, and is very connected with the Public School system in the communities. 

And the rates are coming down, wait for a better sale price when is completed.

You can obviously put a tiny house on any property but the rule for new development is 20-25% of the final sale cost in land.

The for sale market may not get as high as your husband thinks, but the rental demand will be consistent to increasing for the next 5-7 years.