My geographic areas of interest are NE Kansas, northern Missouri and southern Iowa for now.What are you future plans with farmland?

For a $250k duplex budget you'll be looking at Willamette Valley (Eugene/Springfield or Salem),  southern Oregon (Medford to Grants Pass) or Central Oregon (Bend / Redmond) or basically anywhere on the coast.

Hey BP,I am looking for referrals from investors who have used a good commercial or portfolio lender.The issue I am having with local banks is that I am in Southern California and my SFRs are in Sacramento. 

I live in Southern California where we're lucky to have a number of long-running investment groups.

Hi Everyone,I'm based in southern New Jersey, but pretty much close to Philadelphia.

I live in central IL so anything within 3 hours of me I’m willing to commute, I have reliable transportation, and family in northern and southern IL.

At a high level, if it cuts your living expenses in half or better AND will be cash flow positive when you move out, that's a pretty solid deal in southern CA.

Hi @Amber Gazzolo, I'm based in Southern California, but I have started my out-of-state real estate journey in Indianapolis.

Furthermore, I could seek to build more equity in the property and hope it appreciates (property in southern California) and then try to sell next year.

If you haven’t already seen it, I recommend checking out the Bigger Pockets Ultimate Beginner’s Guide and the entertaining and informative BP podcasts.There are also offline groups you can attend for in-person networking, like the Rhode Island Real Estate Investor Group in RI or Black Diamond REI in southern Mass.As far as buying investment/income property, have you talked to a mortgage person to see what price range you can reasonably afford?