Newbie considering an idea from left field - Atlanta area

[Nate Y.]

Ok, new to BP and RE in general, so be gentle!

I currently have about 20k equity in my house and would like to get into rental properties. I generally like the idea of 4-plexes, but would have trouble in the near term getting to a 20% downpayment + closing (roughly $50k by my estimates).

I am wondering about the pros/cons of selling my home, using the equity+cash to buy a 4-plex, and rent another house as my own residence. Is this a crazy idea? Thinking out loud, I could rent a house in a better part of town than the 4-plex I can afford, but if I had any vacancy problems, I could always move in to the vacant unit. Is there a major downside/risk I'm missing? I'm assessing properties including the costs of a PM, especially as I start out.

A bit of background - I have a very stable job and debt free except for my house. Hopefully there's enough meat here to get some advice. Thanks in advance!