Want to start investing but don't know where

[Marco Schoett]

Just for a little back ground, Im a 24 year old fireman in South Florida. I live with my Mom at the moment with my girlfriend and this has been awesome for us, we have been able to save money and get along well. I was originally saving to buy a home and have a decent down payment that I'm still building but with the massive spike in the market down here since the beginning of Covid, buying the home we would want has slipped out of reach. 

This inspired me to start looking into real estate investing, which is something I have always wanted to do. I have been educating myself through books, podcasts and talking to people that I know who own LTR's. I don't have a problem staying with my mom for a little longer and figured with my time off as a firefighter and the money I saved up it would be a perfect opportunity to begin investing. 

My questions are:

A. It seems as if the rental market in South Florida is extremely saturated and hard to get into, does anyone have any information that could confirm or deny this?

B. If that is the case what are some interesting markets to look into or what is the best way to find them.

C. Any helpful tips or mistakes to avoid for someone in my position?

Thank you for all the help in advance!