Beginning REI journey, in Greater Boston area, during COVID?

[Nick Jasinski]

Hello everyone! I am new to the Biggerpockets community, although I have read a ton of discussions, articles, and Brandon's book on how to invest with little (or no) downpayment. I am not new to investing in general - I have a passion for stock/stock options trading, but I have always loved real estate and now have caught the bug to make it a reality.

I am in the Boston, MA area, and realize the market is very expensive. I am not looking to leave the place I live right now, so FHA, 203(k), house hacking, etc. are off the table for now. I still want to manage to put very little down (use others' money), but I am willing to put in a little extra work to do so - I read how you can find great deals and include contracting in loans.

My main goal is creating cash flow, and building up a portfolio over time. Is this possible in Boston, or in MA in general? Since I want to start small, should I go out-of-state? How would I know where to go? I welcome all insights and strategies. Please let me know if I missed a key goal to help you answer my questions.

I saw a couple posts in the past about the Greater Boston area, but nothing too recent that I found. Also, with COVID going on, another main question I wanted to ask is how should this affect my entry to the real estate investing world? Hold off? Use it to my advantage? How?

I would really like to connect with anyone who is willing to help me out, and build a network. I really appreciate everyone's time for reading and answering! Cheers!