Cash flow or appreciation?

[Zhenchen W.]

Hi all, I've been saving up to buy an apartment in NYC where I live and work, but have decided to put the money to better use to invest in rental properties out of state. Complete newbie in real estate investing, and since I have a full time job, my thinking is to get started with a relatively inexpensive turnkey property (~$100k, 20% down) and see how I can scale from there. 

My goal is to accumulate capital so I have more money to invest in more properties in the coming years, how should I think about wanting cash flow vs. appreciation? Ideally, I'd want both, but often one can't have it all, so which is a more effective way for scaling? I think this would help me narrow down the specific markets, and research turnkey providers in those areas. 

Appreciate all your thoughts and recommendations!

ZW.