Fresh-out-of-college millennial looking to start investing

[Zachary Busekrus]

Hi all! My name is Zach and I am new to the BiggerPockets community. I recently graduated from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. I worked my way through school and was able to graduate with very little student debt. I currently work at a Marketing Agency in Fairfax making more money than most people my age (thanks to the four years of working at the agency prior to graduating college). 

Over the past couple of months I have read Robert Kiyosaki's books, Rich Dad, Poor Dad and Unfair Advantage as well as Donald Trump's Art of the Deal. I was greatly inspired by reading these books to learn more about real estate investment and how I can set myself up to begin my journey as a real estate investor as soon as possible. 

Here are some questions I have for you all — specifically those who have been in the business of real estate investing for 5-10 years:

1. What books do you recommend I read before purchasing my first property?
2. If I have $10,000 I want to invest in the next 6 months, what would you recommend I do? (Should I buy a foreclosed property, leverage my "first-time-home-buyer-card" and use it as a 5ish% downpayment on a townhome in the 200-300s, or save it in a high-yield savings account until I have another 10k?)
3. Is it worth buying a condo/townhome as your first property or are single-family homes often the best first investment property?

I look forward to your insights! 

-- Z