New to real estate. In state vs long distance

[Colin Whyte]

Hi everybody,

I'm new to bigger pockets and to the real estate investing world. After reading a few books by Brandon Turner I was driven to the site and bitten by "the bug". I'm in the education/saving phase of my journey, though I have a foot in the door after buying my first home with my wife. Im blessed that my job schedule allows me to have an ample amount of days off per month, because of this I'm leaning towards going down the path of BRRRR or owner occupied type investments. Long term hold and rent. (Not looking to get rich quick, just to retire early and make it until my retirement kicks in.)

I live in Southern California which we all know isn’t a cheap area. So, My question I would like to throw out to the group is, to move forward with real estate investing should I start with out of state investments where my current savings can get more bang for the buck? Then try to bring it back home? I feel hesitant about going long distance because I would like to use my down time from work to manage and/or rehab properties, (for now) which I forfeit when going long distance. Or have newbies had success in a tough SoCal market? Just at lower slower returns? Any success or horror stories either way? 

Like I said I’m new to the game and excited to pick up as much as I can, if anyone out there wants to chat or needs a strong back I’m always willing to trade sweat for advise. 

Thanks everyone!