Property management department of every company deals with this on the side of REO properties.

Check with your building department before you start the work.Code covers what size to use for what application.

These are usually referred by upper echelon banking trust departments and international business law contacts.Back to your original question, you should also seek a referral from your CPA, assuming the CPA has a focus in RE.

You can do cross collateraltization for your purchase for the 20% down with a smaller bank with a healthy commerical loan department.

Don't start your investing career with such a property.If it is properly zoned, check with the building department to see if its actually permitted as a duplex.If its not both zoned and permitted as a duplex, plan to make it back into a single family.

If your gentlemen depart one way or another will the surrounding vacancies scare away other tenant prospects?

Call the planning department and just ask.

and it came up in a meeting the other day...exactly how REO departments work.

He said he's a senior/manager in his department.

I have a cousin that lives in Sacremento and I believe he is now a captain in the fire department.