New Bay Area Investor Looking at Out-Of-State Deals

[David Chan]

Hey everyone! My name is David (just turned 24) and I'm a new user/listener of BP. I currently live in the Bay Area and I know how expensive CA is and how difficult it is to buy rental properties. Out of state investing seems to be the best option for me at the moment and I am open to pretty much anywhere.

I am having some trouble trying to figure out what the steps are to purchasing my first property. Do I find an agent in the market I am looking in, analyze deals on my own (but I'm not really sure what to do after), or get pre-qualified for a loan first? I've been listening to the podcast and some past webinars but I'm still a little uncertain on how to attack the first deal.

Thanks in advance for any tips and insights!