Not sure how/where/when to start...

[Adrienne Bryson]

Hello!  My name is Adrienne.  I've been interested in real estate investing for a while and found BiggerPockets last week.  I'm primarily interested in fix and flips and small multifamily rentals.

I've learned A LOT already!  But now I am at a point where I'm not sure where to go from here.  I have read a number of books and articles that say, "Education is key!  Make sure you do plenty of research and learn about [insert specific type of investing here] and your market before you jump in."  I've also read probably the same number of books and articles that say, "Don't waste too much time reading.  Get out there and DO IT!"

So I'm at the point where I'm not sure whether I should take my time to network, establish some contacts, read and study and learn enough that I feel comfortable diving in...or if I should just go for it and start looking to set up my first purchase.

Some advice please!  What did you do?  What do you wish you did when you first started?