I wanted to buy a duplex but it seems as if every single duplex is unaffordable with MIP and property taxes.
For instance a 700k Duplex 30-mortgage with 7.1% interest rate with rents at 5k would cost me over $6500/month putting me 1500 in the hole a month. That number of course is not including any repairs that I would probably have to do as well.
LA is a market unto itself. Most of the advice on BiggperPockets applies to smaller, less expensive markets.
LA is not a cashflow market. A large down payment is required for a property to actually cashflow -- and that's one reason why well-heeled investors flock to LA (and places like NYC and Miami). It's really expensive to get in and not pay ongoing negative cashflow.
But what LA offers that most markets don't is outsized appreciation. The slow, steady gentrification of LA neighborhoods have made a lot of investors a lot of money over the last few decades.
$50K is a very tight sum for getting into the LA market, but if you're going to try, your best bet is house-hacking a duplex in a gentrifying neighborhood. You won't experience cashflow, but your additional cost-of-living over renting will be paid back in appreciation in the years to come.
Buying in a gentrifying submarket is especially important now that the market has cooled.