I am an electrician by trade and own a 1916 home myself so the commonly frightening buzzwords such as "knob and tube", "plaster walls", and "asbestos tiles" don't carry quite the same weight with me but it will be nice to have someone who is as objective as possible.If you feel comfortable answering, could you share what you budget for repairs on these older properties?

The door I propose removing is a 3rd point of egress.I use a GC (and he uses licensed trades) for all my projects. 

I have an extensive list of trusted trades (HVAC to plumbers to roofers) to share. 

If you ever want to trade war stories or exchange thoughts on vendors or come see the project let me know.  

He is an electrician by trade and I have picked up a lot from him in that field and also other skills that is just on the job landlord training.Recently the family business in one of the mixed use commercial areas suffered a fire and we had to move the entire business to the vacant commercial property in the other building.

We financed this home at 80% LTV through a local bank (here is where I would have saved my capital and gone with FHA or another low money down strategy had I had the foresight, but alas, "it is what it is" as they say).My plan is to eventually use 1031 to trade up to 8+ unit buildings, then parlay that into either apartments, mixed use, or commercial down the line.Going forward: House hacking the duplex is clearly not the ideal situation with a toddler and a newborn.

It is a cloud based brokerage that is publicly traded, agents receive stock in the company.

If you feel like getting creative, I would love to trade some labor (drive for dollars, fill out/deliver marketing materials, clean and landscape, any other chores you'd rather someone else handle) for reduced rent.Thanks everyone, looking forward to getting out and getting involved.Ryan

I am a 20yr carpenter along with a ton of experience in other building and remodeling trades.

Most of that time I was the investments manager in Texas for a large publicly traded REIT, managing the acquisitions and dispositions of SFR homes.