I suppose I'll just wait until I find a good applicant and be grateful I won't have a vacancy this time next year. 

Hopefully this helps clear up the main point of your post!

After that all you need is the right team.  

My LOT was $32,500 and then they added the FOA to cover the first 2-3 years. 

I think it's great that your plan for next year is just one investment property.

It’s in the expense section.

Both investments can offer tax benefits, but real estate typically has the edge.

My next question is what kind of cash do you have available? 

There are the obvious pros/cons of a duplex but then there are the non-obvious ones that come with being in Detroit.I actually have a fantastic article about this I can share but I'm unable to link to it in this post.

The actual tax amount is often not the issue, it is the principal.