RE newbie ready to make my first purchase. Advice ?

[Kristina Concord]

Hello All,

I'm interested in buying my first place in Boise Idaho.  I believe I would like to find a duplex to purchase and either rent out one side to a long term tenant or do a AirBNB vacation rental type.  I don't think I will be able to find anything larger then a duplex, because I was only approved for $250k and have $30k down. Is a duplex the best first step for RE Investing? 

Thank you in advance!

[Ken Dillard]

The "best first step" is the deal you take action on after setting your criteria and sticking to your numbers : )

Hard to say what is your best first step, but you will find many people on the forums supporting the idea of house hacking as a great strategy. Take a minute and make sure you write down what your goals are. House hacking is a great way to start out but make sure you know what cash flow you are looking for and if the investments in real estate will continue, what type of investor are you - multifamily, SFR, buy and hold, etc.

Good Luck!