New to real estate investing

Hello BP,

I am excited to finally open up and become active in my real estate adventure. I am a traveling RN  and would like to come home and start the process of real estate investing. I have done lots of reading and listening to webinars, but still feel stagnant in my progression. As I did some reading it states that everything I need to know about starting real estate I can read, but that does not help me physically in the process. I am looking to network with some of you seasoned investors. What is my first step into real estate investing? Should I go to the bank and ask for a loan? What If I have the funds to purchase the home, should I still considered a loan through the bank and save my money to make more money with? Since I have not purchased a home  before would it be considered first time homeowners loan? Are there any investors locally that could spare just a little time to help point me in the right direction? I did some reading regarding purchasing homes that are around 10k, but are in areas considered war zones or high crime rates. With my first purchased should I considered something more secure in another area? All comments are appreciated. thank you