I would also urge you to make sure you fully understand how they operate , A-Z (from how they make their profit to how many doors they are managing). 

Practical Tips for Managing PropertiesFinding Good Tenants: Screen thoroughly.

Be patient in your decision making and understand the local pricing and economics of an area.  

This will save you time and effort, as you won’t have to travel long distances to manage different properties or handle tenant issues.For your first investment, I suggest starting with 2-4 unit properties.

Quote from @Dustin Hagemeier: As someone in property management, I’m pleased to share that we’ve had significant success with the Section 8 program. [...]

We're currently renting downtown and looking to get started as first-time home buyers in an owner-occupied duplex situation to start our path in rei. 

They yield results, but I understand a lot of other people have jobs where they cannot spend so much time on their listings. 

Probably time for me to come down and visit mom anyway ;).

You will learn the time and effort required of managing such a unit.  

It’s their full time livelihood to make transactions happen.