Pittsburgh Area Multifamily Zoning

[Brendon W.]

I've been trying to find an area to purchase a home as a primary residence with the goal of increasing my savings rate. My target area is the South Hills / Northern Washington County area. As a wanna-be investor with no experience, ideally I'd like to find a relatively turn-key duplex that I could leverage an FHA / low down payment conventional loan on. I've been analyzing the small multifamily properties on the market within the last few months, but I haven't found anything suitable so far. I've also been considering the option of buying a single-family home that has potential to be converted into a duplex, however, the zoning laws vary township by township regarding leniency towards multifamily zoning. Some of the areas most conducive to this type of thing naturally seem to be the areas with exorbitant tax rates (Brentwood, Carnegie, Dormont, etc.) and being as that I would only be collecting rent from one Unit, a $500/month tax bill might make it more beneficial to just try and find a small single family further from the city in a nicer area that can't be converted. Renting out rooms isn't really an option for me either.

I have a pretty decent paying job, but I've been renting in Upper $aint. Clair like an idiot for the last 4-5 years before I caught the RE bug and now I'm just trying to figure out how to tackle my housing expense but this is the issue I've been stuck on. Anyone have any insight or knowledge as far as zoning in the area? 

Thanks !