Wow, thanks so much everyone for all your advice. It's definitely given me a lot to think about. I'm especially liking the idea about US property investment, but I'll reply individually:

Michelle, I'll make sure to read those books, thanks for the suggestions. I've read Rich Dad, Poor Dad before, but I was ten and didn't really understand it, so hopefully now it'll make sense. Since I first started working last year, I've put 10% of everything I've made into a separate account. Currently it's not that impressive, with about $230 in it, but I'm planning to start working more than just weekends on school holidays soon and start seriously saving. That 10% was originally for the stock market on the advice of my grandfather, so I think I'll keep that there and then put 20% towards a deposit on top of that. Thanks also for opening my eyes to investing in other countries, the US is definitely something I'll look into. If I can somehow manage to buy something over there and rent it for more than whatever I'm paying monthly, I might even try and do it while I'm still in uni (I'm probably being extremely naive though , I'll start getting familiar with laws and costs). Thanks for your advice about goals as well, much appreciated

mattnz, I'm really excited about the whole idea of buying property overseas. I was reading a thread on this same forum where somebody wanted to start getting into the US property market and some people replied saying it was a bad idea, just because of things like having to replace the roof every ten years because of the snow. I personally like the idea of US property, like it's cheaper and everything, so thanks for the suggestion (like obviously I'll research beforehand, but it does seem like a very good opportunity the way I see it). Positive cashflow is the main thing I'm concerned about and apparently the US is really good for that. Even if it takes longer to get to where I eventually want to be in property investing, I'd be more comfortable buying properties where I'm making money (however little) straight away rather than paying and only having money in equity or in the value of the property I own and not available to spend if I wanted to. Thanks for the reply!

Marthamel, everyone makes that joke about my surname hahaha, thank you Bird dogging seems like an interesting way of doing things but as a way of making money to begin investing I don't think I'd do that well at it because my knowledge of real estate at the moment is pretty empty. I don't think I'd be able to spot a good deal from a bad one, and I'd be more likely to be one of the people using the services of bird doggers instead of doing it myself! But once I get experienced it's definitely worth considering as a way of making money. Thanks for the book suggestions, it just makes it that much easier to find useful information and to be sure I'm not wasting time reading random property investing books. Also, thanks heaps for your offer to help me out! I don't have anything apart from very basic ideas at the moment, but after a bit of reading I'm sure I'll have a lot to talk about. Thanks again

Dale Harmer, thanks for the advice. You're right, the best thing I could probably do along with reading books is to hang around other property investors and get a feel for how to do things. I'm assuming by rehabbing you mean renovating or cleaning or something similar to that (I'm not familiar with the term, sorry if I misunderstood you). But yeah, Texas seems to be the best place to invest in the US at the moment from what I've heard. I'll definitely keep all my options open and look up San Antonio and send you an email if it's not too late (it might be a while before I'm confident enough with my knowledge to make any moves, but I'll send an email regardless). Unfortunately I'm not eighteen until April, which is well after your trip in February, but if you're still willing to help or discuss properties in Texas later on that would be great. Thanks for the advice!

Qlds007 and Jamie M, thanks for the reassurance

NHG, thanks for the info about university, it's definitely instilled some confidence in me. I'm planning on saving a lot throughout uni, so hopefully I end up with a lot to show for it by the end of it. Thanks for the response, very helpful!

xdrew, thanks for your response, I'll definitely weigh up the arguments for and against buying in America. I've got an uncle who does painting and my grandfather used to teach electronics/mechanics at an Air Force base (and my dad did a lot of renovating on our old house), so I've got a few good people to learn from, but I'll try and meet some people that aren't family, just because more people means more perspective. By 80/20 borrowing level I'm assuming that means that I'm only borrowing 20% of the cost of the house from the bank and paying 80% of it from what I've already got (sorry if I've misunderstood you here) – definitely a challenge but it does seem like a smart way of doing things. Thanks for all your advice!

This took a bit longer than I expected (it's one in the morning), but I'm extremely greatful to be able to receive so much advice and support from complete strangers. It's good to know that there are still people looking out for each other. Thanks again to everybody.