New to Texas and looking to invest locally with not much capital

[Kat Owen]

Hi, recently moved to East Texas. I have one single-family rental in Washington state that I plan on keeping for a while and accruing equity. I would like to start adding to my portfolio with local single-family long-term rentals and manage myself to reach that "financial freedom" for my family. Would it be a good idea to become a real estate agent or property manager if I just want to invest? Or should I connect with a real estate agent to write contracts? I am not too familiar with short/medium term rentals or airbnbs. I would like to eventually get into multi-family after having a few doors to my name. I am constantly listening and trying to absorb knowledge from podcasts and forums but still kind of stumped when it comes to attaining capital... Are there local groups I can join? 

Thanks everyone for guidance and sharing the wealth of knowledge!