Mid 20s tech worker in NJ, trying to figure out how to invest 300k in savings

[Bliss Hu]

Hi all,

I'm a software engineer at a fintech company making decent salary. I'm going to have about 300k in liquid savings towards the end of the year. I'm interested in real estate investing but know that things are difficult in RE investing atm with high prices and mortgage rates.

Does anyone have any ideas for what they would do with 300k in this market? I am considering buying something in-state in NJ, maybe something in a good area close to a train station, and just renting it out. I'm not really confident in starting with BRRR because I have some family that lost a lot of money rehabbing a house. My parents own a couple of properties in NJ, and recommend I do local first. But I know I'm probably not going to find cash flow locally and to break-even I'm probably going to put in a lot of down. At the same time, trying to learn about managing long-distance real estate.

Does anyone have any advice? I'm open to making new connections and meeting new people.

[Bliss Hu]

So, I am looking at postings near train stations in NJ, but often I am getting negative cash flow when doing calculations. I also read in real estate by the numbers that it's risky to bet on market appreciation. What are your guys thoughts, put a higher down payment? Take a hit and refinance later? Or just keep looking?