However - my job is very high paying so I will look to build savings and start making my first purchases.  

Section 8 standards in our area are high (depending on the inspector). 

Borrowing other people's money sounds great but the market prices are high and hard to make profit if you borrow the down payment and borrow for the remainder of the mortgage loan. 

Those waiting for a recession will be waiting for a LONG time...it isn't happening this economic cycle, the stubbornly high inflation rates indicate that.A few points above to reiterate: (1) real estate is LOCAL, while there may be some worrying trends nationally, the Harford County market is strong and will stay that way IMO, (2) timing the market is generally a fools errand if you have a long term outlook (if you're looking at short term investments then timing factors in more), (3) if you're looking for a place to live (not strictly an investment) then there are a lot of other important factors to consider.Bottom line is that if you have the means, and if you intend to own the place for 5 or more years, I personally wouldn't hesitate to jump in.

But in Austin, most duplexes in my area are appraising much too high to cash flow. 

In Delaware we have to give notice of non-renewal 60 days before the end of the lease. 

It'll take a few years but I think this area is going to show steep appreciation over the next 5 years and you can get a decent place that'll cash flow a little right now, more if rates drop and you refi and best of all, high appreciation over the next 5-10 years. 

The high HOA's in highrises normally kill cash flow.

I write down on them what year they were installed so it is easy to determine if we are close to the end of the 10 years.

Passive income and retire early, or leave your W2, get rich quick, replace your W2 income - they will tell you that you can have this wonderful lifestyle and will give you insights on how to get there (that you can get from any business book about grit, consistency, hard work etc) and they will bounce around in their presentations to make it look really hard, and then get you to sign up for the five figure training which is 1 on 1.Whats comical is I am in note space and I can name three people who have high dollar training and one has filed BK several times and the other two owe others millions of dollars from bad deals........