Start Investing in Iowa or Wait until Move to Dallas in a Year

[Victoria Lilly]

Hello my name is Victoria. I've been reading/listening/learning on BiggerPockets for a while but finally got to register to become a member and join the big family!

So here's the short story about myself: I bought my first property near Orlando, FL area when I was back in college and house hacked it during my 4 years of college. After graduation I got a full time job in Cedar Rapids, IA and moved here to Marion, IA a year ago. Since then we've been renting out the FL property. The rental income started my wonder about RE investing and luckily I came across BiggerPockets!

Now I'd be thrilled to learn about deals and rentals in Cedar Rapids/Iowa City area. Please feel free to message me if you have any experience to share :)

Now here comes the question:

Husband's career made it clear that in a year or two we'll have to move again. We have 3 choices: Dallas TX, Miami FL, or Los Angeles CA. Hubby and I lean towards Dallas, TX not only because we love the vibe of TX but also the real estate market there. (Btw what do you guys think about these 3 cities?) My question now is: Should I wait until moving to the new city to start investing? Or say heck no I'm gonna start with where I am now? Also I'd want to get my real estate license eventually. Should I wait to get the new state's license? Or is it worth it to get the Iowa license just for a year or two? Or should I even jump to start getting my license/investing in Dallas? My gut feeling tells me I should't wait but still have concerns. If you can share some of your experiences or opinions with me that'll help us a lot!