In-State Vs. Out of State for First Property (Main Goal is to Learn with Min Losses)

[Gordon Cai]

Hey BP. I'm trying to get my first deal done but can’t decide whether to start off in-state or out of state. My primary goal for my first deal is to learn as much as I can but due to how expensive homes are in California, it’s hard to learn without putting too much on the table. I have read Long-Distance Real Estate Investing by David Greene, but I’m still worried that by investing out of state I wouldn’t be able to learn as much about renovations vs in state.

If my end goal is to invest out of state, should I just do that to begin with? Will investing out of state negatively impact the learn experience for my first deal, specifically the renovation aspect?