I agree with starting out with a few different kinds of birds. Also look to buy locally and you will get birds that are adapted to your climate. I've gotten all my chickens from craigslist and friends. We started both our flocks (we had a flock in NC and now have a flock in WA) with older birds and both had at least one chicken go broody so then we get local fertile eggs of the type we are interested in and went from there.
It's a small investment but for under $100 you can incubate your own eggs. Then you can be sure that your flock is starting out without bringing in germs and bugs from another farm or hatchery. It's a lot easier to get the kind of chickens you want and it's so fun to watch them grow.
