In need of some guidance

[Christian Licata]

Hi, i'm 22 years old and looking to get started in real estate. Im trying to decide if flipping a home or buying a rental property is the best option for my first investment. I have a good amount in savings and I'm willing to put a down payment of up to $50,000 for a rental. The problem Im facing is that my job doesn't pay much. So I don't know if it makes much sense to buy a rental property for about 200k-250k, just to make a few extra thousand a year (based on a 5% return). Should I be looking at this as a goal to keep buying rental properties to build up my portfolio? Or should I focus on trying to make more money per year before buying a rental? 

The second option would be that I flip a home. If I decide to do this I have a private loan in place that would be for 250k at about 6%. I also have a close connection with an experienced developer and is willing to help mentor/guide me through looking at homes and answering my questions. Also, do you guys think that buying a foreclose to flip would be too risky for my first flip? Any advice will be appreciated, thank you!