Depending on the demographics of the area, I've found that Home Depot/Lowes is fine for just about anything going in a regular rental.One must consider return on investment and buying fancy custom cabinets won't yield much if any more rent that box store shaker cabinets, especially in a duplex.Get some decent cabinets and a good countertop and you should be good to go.

Patience and hard work and dedication Did you work with any real estate professionals (agents, lenders, etc.) that you'd recommend to others?

And always remember, MOST will try and quit, start and stop, and spew opinions and "you should" and ever so few grind through unphased, head down, chin up, dedicated and achieve the levels all talk about wanting.   

I have SEO engineer who quit his full job in finance, went to MIT , got engineering degree and is dedicated to online marketing services.

There are several skip tracing companies out there, find one without high volume minimums, flexible pricing options and excellent customer service.

Failed HVAC guys who don't work well with others, electricians with a lousy customer base, sometimes a journeyman plumber who can never quite qualify for his master credentials.

Next thing you know my customer base writes bad reviews, stops coming, etc.

I'm Ana Cantu from Dallas, passionate about real estate investing for a few years now and dedicated full time since the beginning of the year.

Then it is important to know what is your investment strategy, risk tolerance, and time that you are going to dedicate in the game.

I did not expect such a custom and valuable answer that fast.