With a 4-plex, losing one tenant is only a 25% loss of income versus a 50% loss in a duplex.That said, a duplex might be easier to manage, especially if you're new to investing or will be away for long stretches of time.

What was supposed to be a relatively quick process ended up stretching throughout the entire winter.

I'm not a handyman by any stretch but there are few things on that list that I'd like to tackle.

Welcome to BP - lots of great markets and submarkets in the general DFW area, even stretching now up to near Oklahoma in the north and down towards Waco/Temple South - lots to evaluate and choose from!

According to data from the Housing Authority of Baltimore City, demand for vouchers remains high, and resources are stretched thin.

We're never going to fix this supply problem for housing unless we can juice the number of builds getting done to where its back to normal (i.e. pre boom times from 2005 to 2008).The federal government should do the exact same thing to stretch the money.  25k down payment assistance for first time home buyers who buy new construction homes as a no interest loan payable only upon sale or transfer (i.e. if the person dies and someone inherits, that 25k could be called due). 

For starting out you'll need to make sure that you've got enough liquidity (be sure not to stretch yourself too thin too).

After a good stretch in real estate, I’ve found that the best deals often come from great conversations.

Seems like you could definitely stretch your cash further there for sure.

Personally I think you have to look at it two ways so here are my thoughts on it.1. investing IE passive which to me is buy a rental let the tenant pay it off get your tax breaks etc etc.. although I fully understand being a landlord is NOT passive by any stretch but your not building anything just letting the property percolate until you dispo it in a few decades..