First investment property and househack

[Armin Rostami]

Hello everyone, I wanted to come on here and introduce myself as a new member of the BP community and thank you all for all the fantastic resources and information you put out here!

I am getting started on investing in real estate and buying my first property and would love to hear everyone's advice that has been through this journey themselves. 

I am graduating college and moving to the bay area to start my full-time job this summer and will be there for at least 2 years for sure before I start thinking about moving. My goal was to purchase my first househack whether in a Multi family and rent out the unit or single-family and rent by the room. I know how crazy the housing market is in the bay and how high the prices are and it will be almost impossible to cash flow unless I put down a lot of money. But my goal was to find a good deal that I am able to at least break even and live rent-free while building up equity. 

Now my question to all the investors in San Francisco and everywhere else is that with how the market is up there, would it still be wise for me to look for deals in the bay, and am I able to find good deals to house hack and get the first real experience as a landlord? or will it be better to look for out-of-state markets with way more reasonable prices and cash flow opportunities?

Thank you again for all the great info here! I would also love to have a chance to connect and learn from any experienced investors that have done this in the past. So please don't hesitate to message me and I am happy to contribute in any way I can as well!