Buy and Hold Out of State

[Anna Z.]

I haven't started investing yet since I am still saving up to start. I want to use this time to learn as much as I could. I live in San Francisco and the market here is crazy. I was looking into homes to buy and hold in Sacramento but investors usually get to them first with cash offers. Would investing in an out of state property be too risky? I won't be able to afford anything in California for a while. What cities/states around CA would you guys recommend?