In Real Estate, TIME IS MONEY.Getting a rehab loan done quickly is worth paying an extra few points in order to be efficient as you will be able to expand your BRR business which would yield results greater than the increased cost of capital that hard money brings.In order to escape a scarcity mindset you need to understand that money is in theory unlimited, they print it.But can you print time?

If you can't figure out how to escape that entry-level job and get into something that pays better, then I would argue you probably don't have the skills necessary to invest in real estate and manage it well.Focus on finding a job you can be proud of and that pays well.

Proper secondary escape/egress, ventilation, etc. 

We also looked at it as a place to escape America if we ever needed to and if our jobs went sour, we still had income coming in.

Good luck and congrats on escaping CA.

Idea was to have a place to escape half the year with the family and STR the other half of the year.

Congratulations on finally planing your escape.

The idea of escaping the "rat race" is something I have aspired to since I was in my mid twenties.

That pain could take the form of working long hours, putting other aspects of your life aside for business, or uprooting your entire life for a short period to escape the rat race.

Some townships will require certain items, like an escape window if below grade or a walkout to be installed.