Here is a link to a California consumer affairs document outlining landlord and tenant duties/responsibilities: http://www.dca.ca.gov/publications/landlordbook/catenant.pdf

Especially when a subcontractor isn't providing materials beside consumables (screws, nails, caulk, etc.), I NEVER, NEVER, EVER give them money until the job is done to my complete satisfaction.I have this rule because I've been taken advantage of, just like you did in this case.  

You would have to rezone the property which would be time consuming.

Hope this helps. http://www.experian.com/consumer-products/free-cre...

Since I am new to real estate I think that finding deals(wholesale) would be the best route for me initially and will spend as much time researching this particular topic.Thanks for reading my intro and I look forward to diving deep into this community and consuming as much knowledge as possible.  

Like others have stated, getting and maintaining a license is time consuming and not cheap. 

-John UlzheimerPresident of the Consumer Education @ SmartCredit.com

I agree that many people have used the equity in their home as a means to purchase many consumer items thinking the positive increases would continue.

I'm wondering, if I were to spend 50-100k less on purchasing a property out of state, what additional costs that come with out of state investing would consume that saved money?

No hard feelings, but unless you are building some of the "very tiny houses like you seen in TV (real estate pornography)", you are asking for trouble in the long run.