Alternative options to house hacking

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Hi, my wife and I are looking to start our real estate investment journey in the near future (6 months). We've been doing lots of research and we decided that the best way for us to start would be by purchasing a duplex and renting one side out and living in the other side. However, as we've been searching, we've come to realize that duplexes are really hard to come across (we currently live in Virginia Beach,VA). So my question is, what are other ways to begin investing in real estate? Should we consider purchasing a home and then house hacking a room or two? What other options do we have available?

Thank you in advance!