Finding a market for first investment

[Nick Pisano]

Hi all-

I'm just getting started on the education phase of my push to get into real estate investing, as I figure out my plan going forward. I've got about 40k in cash to work with on my first deal (which I hope to be a BRRRR), but I live in Washington, DC, which puts most local properties a little out of my price range and comfort zone for a first deal. I've listened to the podcast on out of state investing, and am currently working my way through David Greene's book on it, but I've been having a little trouble finding a market.

From some basic research and checking out the forums, it seems a lot of people do well starting out in the south or midwest, but I don't have any particular connections there to use as a jumping off point. How would I go about evaluating a city or market, and are there any particular areas that anyone would recommend for a first deal? Thanks in advance!