Looking for my first deal in Atlanta and surrounding areas

[Pragati Soni]

Hello Everyone! 

I am fairly new to BiggerPockets but have been listening to podcasts on my commute to work to soak up as much as I can. I am looking for my first deal in the Atlanta and surrounding areas.  I can currently comfortably put down $15k to $20k in investment property. Obviously, finding a property within 30 minutes from Atlanta area is currently $250k plus. Realizing this may be a challenge for me I started looking into properties in the college town of Athens. Athens is only an hour from Atlanta and I went to the University of Georgia so I have a sense of familiarity with the area and demand. Last year when I looked there were a bunch of properties selling for $60k to $70k which would have been the perfect price point for a starter property for me. My goal was to rent that out to students $350 per room and most of these properties were 2 bedroom condos. There are still some deals like that available but they are very limited and I haven't seen a really good one recently.

My question is, should I continue looking in Athens for my starter property considering my situation or should I look at other areas that I may have overlooked? I want to start investing in Georgia since this is my primary residence and being physically here will help me learn all that I can with my first deal. I am looking for a property no more than 1.5 hours from the Atlanta area. Please leave comments with any feedback or suggestions you have! Thanks!