Could continued strong population influx into Arizona cause Phoenix and Tucson to merge into a common mega-region one day?

However, I tried to do a heloc with Regions and Navy fed and was denied as its an investment property and duplex.

This will vary by region. 

There is a fella here on BP that has a fairly nice east Texas 25-unit complex that is more like what I have in mind, but I'm thinking I'm going to try some cold-calls in a region I'm more comfortable with, with friends and family nearby.

We have many tri-levels in our region (an entirely different state from yours) where the bottom level is halfway below grade and is included in the square feet.

@Ben FederThe main difference is that Realtor.com has listings that are inputted into any of the regional MLS systems, systems operated as non-profits and overseen by a board of local brokers, where Zillow or Trulia aggregate their listing data from individual broker sites (Coldwell Banker's listings automatically syndicate to ...

Mom and pop tenants tend to be more sensitive to higher cams per foot than regional to national tenants BUT the regional and national tenants tend to be more picky on location.

Also, if there's nothing tying you down, moving to another region has never been better.

Small local or regional banks are recommended.

@Wes Love Local and regional commercial banks are great for these types of deal especially if you do not have multifamily experience but they will be full recourse.