You pair that with my PhD in bro science, and I know just enough to be dangerous.

Also, furnishing a traditional adobe style house with modern looking IKEA furniture would probably feel odd and would take all the charm out of the house.

While there is a lot of science to purchasing a property, there is an art to it as well. 

Chad,Two companies that I believe might write the 4 family in CA would be:1  Foremost Insurance2  American Modern InsuranceCheck their websites and you should be able to locate an agent who represents them. 

@Marco PadillaSome may disagree, but I'm a firm believer that title insurance is not an exact science.

The valuation is most likely going to be Actual Cash Value (ACV) which is the depreciated value.Two companies that may consider it are Foremost and American Modern Home. 

Adding all modern amenities, new flooring, paint, New lights, opened walls for an open feel, reconfigure the kitchen, installed a/c, dishwashers, laundry, etc.I am getting $1100 for my up unit and have a deposit collected for the down unit at $1000 a month.

I want to duplicate it on a larger scale making very livable small units with modern finishes.

Would it be worth leaving the architecture school to pursue another type of degree like a Master of Science in Real Estate which will be more beneficial to real estate, or even an MBA perhaps? 

Here are some I would recommend (presuming you're looking to do buy and hold rentals):Personal Development: The Science of Getting Rich, Miracle Morning, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Be Obsessed or Be AverageBusiness: The E-Myth, The Millionaire Fastlane, Good to Great, TractionReal Estate: The Millionaire Real Estate Investor, The Advanced Guide to Real Estate Investing,Finding and Funding Great Deals, The Book on Negotiating Real EstateI've also heard good things about How I Turned $1,000 into Five Million in Real Estate in My Spare Time and bought it but have yet to read it (as I'm not in rentals).