New & Learning about Real Estate Investing

[Celestine Shalhout]

I have been listening to podcasts lately on real estate investing. One common advice I have noticed is purchasing a duplex or multi family home in your area or at least 30 miles within proximity. This is mainly if you want to be hands on with your property, which I want to as well. I'm struggling finding a multi family home in a decent price range of $150-200k in Leander or north Austin, TX area. Any thoughts or advise on my first property purchase? 

I live north of Austin which multifamily homes range in $350k or higher. I have considered San Antonio, but that's a 2 hour commute. My end goal is purchase a duplex or multi-family home and rent out the property for passive income.