First of all, I'm going to assume you have a little capital to work with, say $10-20,000. For starters, you need to find a real estate investor who is older than you to mentor you and give you advice. Don't EVER borrow money from the bank to use toward income-producing assets. I know you've heard it before: "The rich use debt to make money." Well, the richer ones use investors to make even more money. Be like them. Find investors and invest time yourself. The best property to start off with is a single family home. Simple, only a few rooms. It's better if it's foreclosed, if you can find one. Try and find where the next "Big Place" is. When real estate space fills up in a large city, everyone starts expanding to the outskirts. Try and pinpoint the next place where everyone will be, so you can get the real estate cheaper and then charge the same rent everyone else is charging. Remember, don't buy the best house in the worst neighborhood. Buy