Hi, this is Julio Ochoa. I'm an investor/developer in Northern California. I'd like to share my thoughts on what path you can take when you're starting out in real estate. 

Real estate investment properties are investments - so you will require capital. 

If you don't have the capital, you can raise it from other people. 

If you have capital, you can invest in improving a property without having to do any of the actual work. 

You will be compensated solely for putting up your capital into the deal.

Either way & for the most part, the property has to be purchased & improved to make a healthy return on your investment. 

What type of property should you invest in? What strategy should you use? 

I recommend going for a property you can greatly improve to provide much needed service/value to the market/community. 

For example, a land property can be highly improved simply by building on it and providing housing for people who couldn't live there before.

I'd also recommend going for a multifamily property - meaning more than 1 unit - because the income the property produces is a lot higher, meaning it can financially withstand recessions. You are not solely relying on a property to sell for a certain value.

If you have any questions I'd be happy to answer or discuss! 
Thanks for reading my post