If you have a lot of liquid cash + high credit score, it could be beneficial to use a loan (to keep yourself liquid) and then repay quickly. 

Wet signing the lease in person is the only opportunity to talk to the tenant about stuff that matters - so we quickly switched back.

Start with BiggerPockets Ultimate Beginners Guide (free).

@Katie Smith He probably needs a quick closing (cash) to get the deal done.

 I would refi quickly and do a rate and term or pull a bit of cash out. 

Watch this short video for a quick walkthrough.

Start by reading the Ultimate Real Estate Investing Guide: https://www.biggerpockets.com/guides/ultimate-real-estate-investing-guide/introduction2.

If you recall when the rates jump super quick a few years ago many of these same hedgefunds/insurance companies just one day decided to stop lending all together until rates stabilized..

Websites like Rentometer can give you a quick snapshot of rental comps in your area.Multi-Unit Strategy: If you can swing it, aim for a 3-4 unit property instead of just a duplex.

Many investors aim to jump straight into turnkey properties or multifamily deals to scale quickly, but the truth is that most people don’t have enough liquid capital to maintain consistent growth this way.