@Chris Hains  all in price , vs what you are expecting to sell it for , KEEP IT SIMPLE.

Tourism keeps short-term rentals booked, while long-term rentals offer solid returns at a lower price point with steady demand.

@Travis GuttingAssuming you are trying to keep things low-budget, here are some options:Driving for Dollars – Look for distressed properties and contact owners directly.

I just keep my license as I am proud of it.. 

Usually a couple of times with the late fees is enough to keep tenants in line.

I'd keep an eye out for future development and path of progress plays.  

That’s great advice Taz, I’m currently working on saving enough money to get started, house hacking is hard for me at the moment because I just bought a house 2 years ago, I would have to sell my house(which is in a great neighborhood great location) and use that money to fund the duplex which isn’t totally out of the question, I would like to keep the house if possible but also would like to get real estate investing more.

You would have ongoing filing requirements with the State and would need to keep business records and documentation.

Quote from @John Underwood: Gas heat would require constant tank refilling and it would be very bad to run out in the winter.In my experience, if you have  325 or 500 g tank, you can top off in the fall and be good until spring.....Unless I guess you have a big house and are keeping it at 80d.... 

Then we keep the accounting straight via Quickbooks with each unit a different Class.