As for where to start.

.), and start analyzing deals.

Start ups are hard, expensive, and take a long time to get going.Have you looked on Bizbuysell, Crexi, or Loopnet, to see if there is one that is already going for sale?

Hi Kanaam,To start, focus on financing—U.S. lenders may require higher down payments (often 25-35%) for foreign investors.

I work in Potomac, MD, and would like to buy a condo or apt that I can easily commute and live in, and then eventually rent out, and then buy another. 

If you're going to start in a market you're eventually going to live in, I think that's a stronger case for that market."

There are several options out there to get you started.

If you can get to 20%, you start to see small interest rate reductions. 

Funny enough, I was going to suggest you move out of SF due to the high cost ;-) I'd suggest going down the SF condo route to start as financing for commercial units is a lot more difficult than residential properties.

@Marcus Retter welcome to BP.It's a great community.I've been investing in Albuquerque for 10 years, and you can find some good deals there.Personally, I live in Santa Fe.There are several active Meetups that you can join to get around to other investors.Networking is really important.Get out there and make connections with other investors; that is how I got started.