Buying a rental property before a primary residence?

[Kody Romero]

Hello, I am a college student going to college for free while renting an apartment. In my area, Flagstaff Arizona, housing prices are very high. We were looking at buying a condo, but a 2 bed 2 bath 900 sq/ft condo is typically selling between $180,000-$250,000 which I find way too high for a small unit.

We will be in Flagstaff for 3 more years completing college, and I would like to start building my real estate portfolio as soon as possible. Would it be smart and reasonable to buy a cheaper rental property in a different, more affordable market, even while we are renting ourselves?

Thanks in advance for any help or suggestions!