Duplex VS house-hacking a single-family house as a 1st purchase?

[Lennox Matsinde]

To any active investors in the Seattle area, as you know, we live in a hot seller's market (King County) where the cheapest duplex you'll see is asking at least $500k +. My question today is, even with an FHA loan, in this market, is it feasible for a newbie investor to start off by having their first purchase be a duplex? Or would it be wiser to try and house-hack a single-family house with multiple rentable bedrooms? Also, with us approaching the bursting-point of this market bubble we're in, should this influence my decision on which property type to buy?

Many thanks!