I’m still learning as well, but I have had a few deals under my belt.

Getting that first one under your belt is a HUGE step.Cash invested, $6,000..

Get some deals under your belt, move on continue finding more deals. 

SFR is only bought for rentals generally in the mid west rust belt deep south.. reason is they don't pencil in high priced areas.. so its not really any kind of comparison at least as it relates to SFR'sthis reminds me of when I started in real estate in the mid 70s  My add in the SF chronicle was  1k down get your self started in real estateand through the mid 80s when I sold ranch land.. its was all owner finance and many bought their first properties that way since they could not afford a home or down payment in the bay area.. we sold thousands upon thousands of lots and small acreages in N.

@Justin Windham, @Dmitriy Fomichenko, and @George Blower. 

I will hold off on trying to find an agent to work with until I have a couple properties under my belt and know what I'm looking for exactly.

Thanks we've got a few more under our belt since this one.

Hello Leif,Sounds like you have some experience under your belt which is wonderful.

This includes a lot of rust belt cities that although they do not have the crazy appreciation of some markets provide steady cash flow, and are not as volatile as other markets. 

You don’t get a black belt after one class of karate.