How do you decide where to start your investing career?

[Kole Moore]

Hi there, college student here projected to graduate in two years with an engineering degree to fund my investments. I am starting out early scoping out the scene trying to decide where I want to start my investing career. How does one decide where to invest? Does one simply invest where they want to live? As of now ideally, I want to move to San Diego post-graduation and use my VA loan to buy a house a year and house hack during the year saving for the next investment.

[Evan Polaski]

@Kole Moore, it sounds like you know.  You want to house hack and live in San Diego.  That is your starting point.

As Twana mentioned, your best returns on a house hack will be in a 4 family, typically, since you are only taking 25% of the rent out of the equation.  Ideally a 4 family that has 2-3 bed units, where you can not only rent the 3 units, but also another bedroom or two to friends.

Beyond strategy, the most successful real estate investors are the most frugal.  So my advice is always to live below your means, save as much as possible, and build your reserves.  Cash flow and reserves can get you out of most situations.  Lack of capital is a the fastest way out of real estate.