Getting Started, am I ready?

[Kyle Mathis]

Hey everyone,

I stumbled onto biggerpockets about a month ago and am hooked. This is my first post and I wanted to introduce myself and my intentions.

I am a full time admin/developer and a part time Author. I have never studied real estate and always considered it 'not for me'. However, with the beginners guide and listening to a few of the podcasts here, I can't think of a more straight forward way to earn passive income than owning and renting property. My overall goal is to ditch the full time job and get supplemental income for myself so that I don't have to work full time and commute anymore. Eventually, I'd love to afford the same for my wife who makes significantly more than I do and is definitely the bread winner. 

I am currently a renter myself and my wife and I will be buying our first house in Madison, MS. to be closer to family. Once we are settled I hope to commit a large portion of my time to real estate. 

We have a bit of student loans left and a small car payment that should be paid soon. From there, we will be debt free. Our current combined salaries gross around $179,000 and should stay the same post move.

I guess what I wanted to ask was, do you experienced renters have any advice on when I should jump into the market. How would you approach rental properties in the same year that you intend to buy a house to live in? Should I be 100% debt free? Is life too crazy for me right now?

Secondly, if there are any Mississippi or Florida people who have experienced a similar situation, please let me know! I'd even do some work with them for free just to get some experience. 

Let me know!