It is 3,000 sqft and much larger than I would typically tackle on my own.  

Recently there was a duplex in Wilmington but it was in rough shape and wasn't something I wanted to tackle at the time.

I don't have the youth or cash to tackle this monster and I am only 26.

A fresh coat of paint, some new appliances, etc... are no big deal, but I'm not equipped to tackle any kind of renovation job, at least not for my first purchase.And on to your third point about good management - I'm tempted to say that for a basic duplex or triplex I could manage it myself by doing online background checks of prospective tenants and hiring a local handyman when something needs repair, however for my first purchase I think its best if I go with a good local management company.If anyone has any thoughts to add, I'm all ears!

Shannon,You're not ready to tackle this.

you could take on many of those projects some don't want to tackle!

@Howard MayneCongrats on finding a house in a great area that needs cosmetic work and tackling the "live-in flip".

The area I am looking to tackle first is actually in NJ.

It's a 1970s colonial revival with an addition that was likely tackled in the 90s based on the finishing materials (the bank didn't supply information on when the addition was completed). 

Unfortunately, after seeing (smelling) this problem about once a day for the past few months (it started about 9 months after the house was built), I haven't been able to reproduce the issue since I posted this on BP a few days ago.So, don't take my lack of updates as indication that I'm not appreciative of the advice...once I reproduce the problem, I'll let you know what I find and how I tackle it.Thanks again!