New to the venture: Future Out of State Investments??

[Alan Shen]

Dear everyone,

I recently picked up a few books and started learning the art of real estate investing. As the local Los Angeles market has a higher than the national average barrier to entry on real estate, I started to explore options outside of California. Through my research, I found Utah, Nevada, Texas, and Idaho have a consistent population growth over the past decade while the median home prices hovering around 150k - 200k and relatively low price to rent ratio, which is great for rental properties. 

My question is should I explore these options in 2020 or try to invest locally as coronavirus will definitely have its effect on the housing market and will most likely cause some waves of foreclosure once those forbearances set forth by the government and lenders wear off.  

Ultimately I'm trying to absorb as much knowledge and past experiences from all of you experts out here on the forum, so anything helps! 

Thanks in advance and stay safe everyone. 

Alan