Hello BiggerPockets community!

It's taken me a while to make my first post on this forum, but we're finally taking the next step! I love the utility and sense of community this website provides, it's really enlightened and exposed me to so much more than I expected. As for myself, I work full time as a transportation analyst in Orange County, CA. This is a job I am very passionate about and enjoy, but is also flexible and allows me to allocate time toward my other goals, like investing in real estate.

My countless hours of real estate education and research to this point have led me to the Kansas City market, where I would like to obtain a SFR rental. My thought process is to start by investing in out-of-state markets with a focus on cash flow, given the high barrier of entry in California. As time goes on and I've built up my portfolio and equity, then I would like to start investing closer to home. Has anyone else adopted this approach for similar situations or markets?

I'm working to make my first transaction in the forthcoming weeks/months, so naturally a little nervous, but also enthused and excited!

Sam