Buy and Rent vs. Rent and Buy

[Colin Simpson]

Hello BP,

I am looking to get my feet wet in real estate investing after I just recently graduated college and started working a 9-5 in Little Rock, AR.  I want to get started, I'm just at a fork in the road on how to do it.  I think that I have a few options and hope to hear advice and/or stories as to how people may have started in the past.  I don't know how long I plan to stay in this area so I am wondering whether or not to factor that into my decision.

Option 1: Buy a house or multi-family to live in and rent it out if I leave the area in the near future. I know that because I would be living in it I would spend more to find houses in the area I wanted to live in and I have not found many SFR in those areas that offer much cash flow by my calculations.

Option 2:  Buy an investment property and rent for my primary residence for the time being.  I think this might allow me to pursue a better deal since I would not be as worried about the location.  This option intrigues because I have heard a few people on the podcasts say that they have rented to buy I just feel like the other one is probably the safer bet. 

I look forward to hearing your opinions!