New Member From San Mateo With Questions!

[Christopher Moore]

Hello BP Community,

My name is Chris and I currently reside in San Mateo, CA. I got married about a month ago and my wife and I are interested in pursuing real estate investing as a way to generate passive income (shout-out to Rich Dad, Poor Dad). Currently, we have about 40k to begin our investment journey. Both my wife and I have statistics degree so we look forward to utilizing our technically strong minds towards analyzing deals and population trends for possible out-of-state investing. I am also currently seeking real estate mentor since the only experience I have is self-education (books and Bigger Pockets material). I have a laundry list of questions I would like to ask the BP community:

1. In order to expand our real-estate network, my wife and I are interesting in attending real estate investing meet-ups in the Bay Area. Are there any in the Peninsula? I read about one in Milpitas, but that would be a grueling commute since I work in San Francisco.

2. Is there anybody in the Bay Area who currently invests in out-of-state buy-and-hold properties?

3. What are your thoughts on starting a LLC or S-Corp? What is the best way to reduce liability and take advantage of tax-breaks?

4. If we want to build a team for out-of-state investing, who do we get on our team and who do we talk to first? Is an accountant the best first step?

Thanks in advance :)