Where do I start? (New Investor)

[Zach Gentner]

Hello, BiggerPockets!

I wanted to make an introduction and ask some of the real estate veterans here their advice on where I should start investing. Any books or resources would also be of great assistance to me! So, let me provide a little background about myself and my financial situation.

I graduated college with a business management degree and 40k in debt in December of 2015. At the start of 2016, I didn't really have a direction and felt prey to the outrageous interest rates of my private student loans. So, I moved back in with my parents to cut down on expenses and began plotting out my life ambitions.

After some time deliberating what I'd do for a career and applying for a handful of jobs, a business opportunity presented itself. A local store was for sale, the financials were great, and my parents were looking for an investment of their own. Using their purchasing power, we were able to fund payment for the business and I began working there full time.

Fast forward to today. I have paid off my student loans in full and have a decent amount building up in my savings account. I'd like to make my move into investing in real estate once I have enough to cover any potential capital expenditures and a modest down payment. My idea of my first purchase has always been that I would buy into a multi-family home, such as a duplex, and rent out one half, while living in the other. I thought it might give me a good idea of what being a landlord would be like, while also providing some experience in the business.

The only issues are that I don't really care much for the location I'm living currently. We have a college, but outside of the school year there aren't a lot of people my age that stick around here. The economy, while being enough to sustain our business, doesn't seem to be great for the housing market. Ideally, I'd like to move to a place where my properties might have a higher chance to appreciate in value and finding a tenant wouldn't be quite as difficult as I think it would be here.

Is it possible to have properties in different states or far away cities at my age, or would you dissuade me from making that leap now? If you have any insights into my situation I'd be glad to hear them.

Thanks for reading!

-Zach

tl;dr: I'm a recent graduate looking for investing wisdom, books, information. Any resources, books, or tips would be a tremendous help!