Invest or wait to buy a primary home first

[Augustin Kamdem]

Hello Folks,

I am writing to get your thoughts and ideas on the subject of when is the best time to get started on this amazing real estate journey.

I have been wanted to start building real estate rental portfolio for 10 years, and every time some thing happens in life that prevents me from starting. We live in CA where homes are expensive. We are planning on moving closer to my wife's family in LA and purchase our home there in 18 months. However, I am tired of waiting and I feel like I will never get going on this dream. We could invest in a rental home in the 200-250K range right now if there is a great deal with 3-4 hours of LA. Would you wait and buy the primary family home first before investing in a rental property if a great opportunity arises? 

Hope my question makes sense!

Thank you bros and sisters!

Best Regards,

Augustin