Austin, Texas Beginner Seeking Advice

[Steven Byrnes]

Hello BiggerPockets community!

My name is Steven Byrnes and I'm 24 years old living and working full time in Austin, Texas. I just recently switched jobs from software sales to residential construction management. Ever since I graduated from the University of Texas (Hook'em Horns) and started making money in the real world I've been interested in getting into real estate investing and more specifically rentals.

I'm currently living in a house that I rent with roommates, so my living situation is flexible. I have a few questions for the community on which direction would be the best for my situation. Based on my current living situation (flexible with roommates and no family yet), my debt to income ratio (a lot of student loans and a truck loan), my liquid cash, and the housing market in Austin, I'm hoping for some advice.

-Am I better off going the "house hacking" route even though the housing is so expensive in Austin?

-Am I better off investing a little bit farther out of the city in cheaper properties that I could put 20-25% in the down payment?

-Would I be able to get financing for investment properties with my debt to income ratio?

Any thought, ideas, comments, and/or advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking forward to meeting the community and getting my feet wet as a newbie in the real estate game.