so cal is too expensive, new to investing in phoenix, az

[Shawn Jarman]

hey guys my name is shawn jarman, i am a 23 year old welder that lives in ventura county, ca. it kind of goes without saying that if you are young, there's no way of breaking into real estate unless you inherit property or a sum of money. spent 5 years in phoenix arizona for school and ended up buying one side of a duplex for a whomping 50,000. 2 bed, 2 bath, 20% down, occupied for 800/month, monthly payment of 319/month. finally got a renter since i moved back home, and stopped hemorrhaging money. i suppose im currently buying and holding, but where to go from here to get out of the rat race further. i have a construction background and love working with my hands, just not for someone else, interested in possibilities of flipping. my renter is a family man with a son, and coincidentally does my contracting and handyman work. all in all i see possibilities, but 40 hours/ week is kind of a hindrance when investing out of state it seems. excited to hear from you guys and connecting with a community of people who want to own their own futures, rather than home town friends