Hi,

My name is Vincent, in my mid-20s, and I currently work at a fin-tech startup in New York. I'm relatively well-versed in the stock market and would love to start dabbling in real estate. I have absolutely zero experience with REI but my current goal is to purchase buy and hold rental properties.

I understand how important is it to build an educational foundation before getting started so I'm currently diving into all the below materials:

- The Millionaire Next Door

- The book on Rental Property Investing

- The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No Money Down

- Long-Distance Real Estate Investing

- The Millionaire Real Estate Investor

- What Every Real Estate Investor Needs to Know About Cashflow

- How I Turned $1,000 into a Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time

- BiggerPockets podcasts

I know there are a ton more helpful materials out there but in an attempt to prevent/minimize analysis paralysis, I wanted to limit myself to the top; however, if you guys have any strong recommendation that brought you immense value, please share and I'll add to the list. 

I understand the NYC real estate market is very challenging so my plan is to get started with "nearby" out-of-state investment properties (e.g. Pennsylvania, New Jersey etc.). I want to look at places that are within 2-3 hour driving distance so I can gain the in-person experience of owning and renting a property before I invest further out. 

I'd love to connect with other real estate investors and start participating in NY-based REI associations. Please drop a comment and let's connect.