Californian trying to buy first investment property

[Jacob Cho]

I'm trying to buy my first investment property with ~$100k saved up.

My brother started his first W2 job last month that pays $45k/yr+ commissions.
I plan to get a minimum wage job/an entry W2 job since I'm still in college and to hopefully qualify for a bigger loan.

A lender estimated we'd be eligible for a $300k loan with $100k down, and a $2,500/mo payment on a $400k property with only my brother's income as of now.

California is too expensive for us so I have been looking into out-of-state investment properties.

What would be the best investing route for us to take to grow our wealth? What should I be doing?
Is it even a good time to buy right now or should I be waiting until interest rates go down?
What type of out-of-state property should I be looking for? Single Family? Multifamily?
Are out-of-state investment properties recommended for a complete beginner to start with or too risky?
Do I have to form a team for out-of-state properties or are there other better ways to go about it?
If I have to form a team, how do I go about doing so?

As a complete beginner with no experience at all, please guide me on everything I should know and all the steps I need to take to make a successful investment.

Thank you in advance.