This is completely different than retail investing.   

She was my first connection to buying outside a retail setting, and she treated me with respect and dignity.

You can still find gun safes around town but a commercial safe with shelves that will hold cash and coin are harder to find since retailers and grows can't use the banking system.  

I'm buying office, retail and special situations.But, let me also say, I have invested passively  in several multi-family syndications recently and even at these nose-bleed levels they still look much better than anything else I could invest in.

Paying retail rates for construction can make or break a deal.

I plan on selling this duplex within the next 5 years since I am hoping to have mostly large multi-family and retail properties by then.

Yes, mainly on commercial properties... since I am in dental business I was looking at a single building (about 5-6000 sqft) that I could allocate about 2-3000 sqft for medical/dental and the remaining portion for a retail tenant...

I am now a retail real estate agent (and I privately manage SFRs for owners), the trustee sales are almost over for the mid sized flippers around here ("my" money is buying non-performing loans, better returns on time and money). 

Commercial specific to retail / office / flex / ind where there could have been ground contamination.

It all depends if you want a deal or just pay retail.