New investor: Minimum requirements for jumping into renting

[Mike Girard]

Hi --

I am a New Yorker looking to invest in Philly because cheaper and close. I am looking for multi-family units. 

I would like to make my first purchase as soon as possible. I have read over the Bigger Pockets Guide and a lot of its recommendations seems very involved and time-consuming. My preference would be to draw up a business plan, purchase a property relatively soon, and do all the non-essential business-y stuff -- website, accountant etc -- once I've decided investment real estate is definitely something I want to throw myself into. 

Can anyone just boil down the bare minimum I need to know/do to buy a multi-family unit in Philly without flying blind and losing my shirt? 

Also, I may opt to live in this unit, if only temporarily, while I purchase other properties. How long do you have to live in your multi-family to qualify for government goodies? 

What neighborhoods should I be looking at? Northern Liberties, Fishtown and Pennsport all look fairly good from a distance. I would prefer to rent out properties that I would live in, which means I will not buy in high-crime areas.