I'd say your first move should be to house hack and get out of the apartment, this is the most beginner-friendly way to get started, and as you continue to educate yourself you'll be better equipped to find other deals as you learn.

While you can’t use real estate losses to offset your W-2 income, you can use losses from one rental property to offset the income from another.

Your friend's post office sounds very similar to the property I own. 

If there’s nothing in the HOA about outside smoking then her telling the HOA is the same as her telling her friends.

To begin investing in real estate, learn first, set financial goals, analyze finances, study markets, make friends in the field, get a loan, start with small properties, check all details, plan how to manage them, and choose renters carefully.

Curious if you're considering house hacking with other people (family or friends) or if you're thinking about going it solo?

Agents, even buyer's agents, are not your friend.

Quote from @Kristin Vegas: hi biggerpocket family. my name is cris and looking to buy a rental property in youngstown ohio for cashflow, i live in california and thinking in buy a property in youngstown ohio. anybody here investing there for cashflow if so, which area of youngstown is good and where to avoid. any friendly investor agentHi Kristin!

Hi friends,I have a vacant, well-maintained carpeted property that I am marketing.Since 70% of tenants are pet owners, I feel that I am missing out on a large market.However, I also don't want the hassle to completely replace my carpet after a tenant with pets moves out.

I use Real Estate Services.