When should I get the ball rolling when purchasing a duplex?

[Nathan Galvan]

Hello I am 25 years old extremely new to real estate. My fiancé and I are b planning on getting married in June of 2016 and don't want to go down the apartment path or rent. So we decided we would like to get a duplex and rent out the other half of it.

What are the steps I should take to get the ball rolling and when should I start? We live in CA near the Sacramento area.

thank you to everyone who is reading this!