First time investor in Long Beach California and need help!

[Brandon McLendon]

Hi, I am a first time investor. I make roughly 65k a year and have been saving for 2 years with about 20k to my name and am tired of living mediocre and want to invest into rental properties but am a total rookie and I will not pretend otherwise. I live in Long Beach, Ca and my goal is to do the ole house hack trick with 3.5% down and and live “for free” for a year and save all the money I have and put a hefty down payment next year on a property out of state. The problem is I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA which is a horrible place to start (from what I hear) but my job is here so I have no choice. What are your thoughts on this and If you have suggestions I would love to hear them! I am a sponge to any good ideas! Thank you so much. Signed, Brandon