House Hack Stratagey

[Damequia Montgomery]

Aloha, 

I am getting ready to move to Virginia Beach (Within the next 6 months) and plan to purchase my first home. Im still deciding on whether to house hack or buy a property that needs some work, fix up over time (leaning more towards house hack strategy).  Im not very family with the area and am wondering if anyone can give me some insight (good neighborhoods to live. I've been looking into possibly buying Duplex, Tri, or Quad. Based on what Ive seen so far they only exist near or on the beach, going for over 1.5 million (way above my price range). Can anyone point me in the right direction as far as areas to look at for my first purchase, are there any 2-4 unit properties not on the beach? Im also looking to purchase before officially moving to Virginia, so im looking for an agent that can be my eyes and has many creative tools in thier tool belt. Im anxious and ready to start my real estate investing journey. Any advice is welcomed.