I also prefer it to be in a good school district like South Pasadena, or La Crescenta-Montrose.

Coffee shops and cute downtowns are nice but theses towns may not have great schools for kids etc.

@Christopher Owens house hacking a duplex while in school is exactly how I got started investing.

I am very eager to start building my real estate portfolio, yet I am at a loss of where to start considering I don’t have that much money and will still be attending school this fall .

School system specifically HS  #1 driver for pulling comps in my area for SFH. 

there is a duplex that I am looking at. it is good but doesn't meet the 1% rule, it is more of a breakeven deal. it got its pros and cons:pros: -walking distance to a good school- currently renting at the max potential and seems to be updated so not much rehab is neededcons:- on a major street- not much improvements are needed so it will be hard to add value and recoup my initial investment plus it is not really a cashflow maker. 

If you are looking for properties with some of the best schools in the country I would look into properties in St Johns county.

I am new to real estate and have recently graduated and began working.

@Mitch H.Surprisingly well considering we bought in a college town after school shut down during the pandemic.

I have been employed at my job for a little less than a year, but that is because I graduated in May 2019 from college.