Looking to put forth action! ~ Advice needed

[Jarred Marrow]

Hello all I am currently thinking about finally starting my real estate portfolio, I was in a car accident over a year ago and was given a pretty good settlement amount to the point where I want to invest my money into something that can give me equity and cash flow. The idea is to get my first property as a rental but I am not sure really where to start or what steps to take first. My credit is average and my income is less than 35k a year so getting a loan may be harder to get but I do have this substantial amount of cash and looking to get into the market. Any individuals who are open to helping guide me in this process or have any advice/ideas would be great as I would love to connect and meet new people with the same interest and goals while I can also bring value to them as well. Please feel free to post and share with a friend as I am open to all possibilities here and look forward towards talking to some of you!