Are there animals in GTA Online

Figured it out. Part of the problem was that the server situation on day one was preventing texts and calls from Simeon from triggering.

As you level he sends one telling you about purchasing a garage for your car. This happens at around levels 5-6. You can find all the properties by going to the in-game website: dynasty8realestate.com. The properties will also show up on the map if you drive close to them. They have a symbol that looks like a house; it's also very similar to the convince store icon.

By level 10 it looks like most of the available content has been opened up.

Heist are currently not available, and will arrive in a later update.

Most of the early game missions are triggered by phone calls from Simeon, Lamar, and one of Lamar's friends. These should start up at about level 4. As you level more options in free mode will appear.

I personally had problems with these events triggering automatically on day 1. Day 2 seemed to be better in that regard. Though be weary, there still seems to be issues with the servers not remembering everything you've accomplished.