Selecting Market to Start Investing

[Mac Liu]

Hello Everyone,

I'm new to real estate but plan to enter the real estate market by making a few rental property investments over the next year. I'm looking to invest outside of my local market (Orange County, CA) given the limited cashflow opportunities in this area. I'm wondering how do most people decided on and select a strategy and market early on? I have been looking into many markets across the US and don't really know what to be looking for when trying to select a location to start investing in given the vast options available. 

I am also curious on how most of you decided on a strategy when starting out? I've been considering both multi-family and single family rentals but haven't arrived at a conclusion on which I wish to pursue early on.

Any tips or suggestions would be highly appreciated!