Should I just jump in?

[Derik S.]

The water isn't right, its a little too cold, but should I just jump in, and make my first investment, even if it isn't the smartest? 

I figure to overcome fear, and actually see that REI'ing isn't as scary or intimidating as it seems, I actually need to buy that first property. With no money for a down payment, how do I do that though? Maybe someone here who has had a similar experience in their journey can shine some light on the scenario, keeping in mind the following:

- I want to do multi-family, probably start with either a duplex or triplex. Whichever is ripe for the picking. 

- Let's say I want to, for example, choose a market that is hot like Boulder. If I were to stay close to a college location though, I would want to stay around CSU.

I probably would not be able to find anything, I am guessing, under the $!00,000 mark, that would not require new flooring, painting, etc. That's not including the possibility of value adding on a property. So, let's keep that price bracket in mind.