Should a beginner buy local with lower cash flow or out of state?

[Lauren Olson]

I am a beginner looking to buy my first single family rental for cash flow, but my local area of western Oregon has higher prices and potentially lower cash flow. I am interested in out of state investing, but seems like a jump for someone just starting out.

I would like to start with a local property so I could be more involved and learn from it, but with higher property prices it’s also a larger investment and Oregon is not the most landlord friendly state. Any advice on a western Oregon market and out of state options would be greatly appreciated!!