Buy your first game in person would be my suggestion.

Best advice you're gonna receive from any of us, I'd follow his lead.

This and money exchanging hands is definitely the best way, if you decide to send money check out https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/how-to-not-get-ripped-off-in-pinball-vids-guide first.

I've bought a few pins from other side of the country (like many others), never had problems but there's always a chance things go wrong. Best to buy from reputable pinsiders if local purchase is not possible

I’d recommend your first pinside deal to be as local as possible and definitely find a reputable pinsider with positive feedback. Do not make your first purchase involve a long distance sale and shipping.

I'd wait a few weeks or even possibly months before I would pull the trigger... Unless you find a really sweet local deal.
A few suggestions, and mind you I am no expert. I've only bought 6 pins and two of them were NIB, but each actually has a story attached to it... Except my Iron Maiden... That was bought from Hemispheres and they were just aces and they set it up really nicely and quickly for me.. .Just aces they were....

I wouldn't rush your first purchase. You might think you know the going rates and prices, but you probably don't. Scour pinside, ebay, and craigslist, offerup and let go. Get a feel for the actual prices. Please note, ebay prices are bloated and unless you really want a game I would suggest finding a different source.
Learn the pins and their history. This takes time, but read the reviews, watch youtube videos, go out and play pinball in the wild.

Never ever buy a rare game for your first pin. Get a high production run, this will mean better parts and also possibly newly made replacement parts that actually are better than the originals, like new boards for older games. Only reason why I bring this up, if you have a 30 year old game and its rare... You could be in trouble finding parts for the mechs or toys, or even board sets... Get a game with a reasonably high production run.

Bring a dolly, plastic wrap and 3-6 shipping blankets and a plastic tarp. If you're using a dolly and you wrap the game nice with both the blankets and plastic wrap, it'll make transporting it so much easier. At first I was afraid of the wear and tear of the stairs and the banging. But, if you wrap it right. It really isn't an issue.

Don't be afraid not to buy a game. If you go and are not happy with the condition of the game. Then walk away. If you're driving for hours on end this is harder I know... But, try not to put yourself into that situation. Ask for video gameplay footage of the game. And I would even ask for pictures of the stairs(if its in the basement of 2nd floor). I bring this up because I couldn't use my dolly at one place because of the nasty lip of the stairs and they were also very, very narrow. Like half stairs. I wound up sliding the pin down the stairs... Was a nightmare till we got it sorted right. Never,ever going to do that again. And that is why I know ask for pictures of stairs. So I know not to waste my time before getting started. But, this is true for all sorts of things.

If you are buying from another state and getting it shipped... The only real downside, besides the potential for damage is they generally are poor with giving you proper drop off windows. I've had my Hardbody and Raven shipped to me. Both times was an ordeal getting the delivery window correct. I bring this up because you'll probably want to have someone help you bring it into your house with you(or you could use a dolly), and you'll need to have them on call, as you don't want them wait at your house for hours on end till the pin shows up. And you really don't want your pin to be sitting outside while you wait for your friend to show up either. My MBr LE sat outside for about 30 minutes waiting for my friend to get there. By the time he showed up it was pouring rain... I did have a tarp on it though... So it didn't get wet... But, we sure as heck did, as it took us 15 minutes to load up the dolly and get it into my house.

Again... I'm not an expert. And you probably won't be an expert right away... Keep an open mind and be open to suggestions. Try to learn from each pin you get, and I think eventually you'll start to be someone who can give advice... I'm still in the newb phase... Just finally learning and understanding things myself... But, I got so far to go still.
But, that is the fun part of the journey.

You could try posting in the Texas for-sale thread and see if anyone's got something to sell in your area (doesn't look super-active, maybe because your state is so big and spread out?) Even if you don't find a machine that way you might find someone that's willing to offer some advice and maybe even a seasoned pair of eyes when you're ready to look at a game:
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/whats-for-saletrade-in-texas