New and want to jump in!

[MarieChele Porter]

Hi everyone!

I am brand new to BiggerPockets and excited to be here it seems like everyone here seriously wants bigger pockets and are very knowledgeable! Now that that's over let's get to the good stuff!!!! 

I have been saving money for a little while and would like to invest in my first property for rent. At first I was thinking of starting off with a single family home, however after checking out some forums maybe multi-family (at least a duplex) is the way to go?... Here's the thing I have about 20k that I can comfortably use as a down payment and don't know where to begin looking for real estate. Well, actually I know that I can not afford here in California where I live, and have been checking out places in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana seems to have prices in the range that I can afford for single family homes, but I haven't even began the research for multi-family homes! 

As far as an FHA loan these can be used for purchase of investment property as long as I live on site in one of the units correct?

If anyone has advice on whether to go for the single-family vs. multi-family homes and what states and/or cities would be good to look in for a first investment property that would be greatly appreciated!!!!!

Thank you!