But to start with MF that seems like a pretty heavy lift for these folks.Of course you can teach theory but then you have real estate reality..  

However, some investors don't mind this strategy if they prefer not to put a lot of liquid in up front and plan to refi out within a few years of closing (which seems to be a great option with the talks of the FED reducing interest rates this year).It really comes down to investing in a growing market, in a good neighborhood & building a great team to support you.

However, based on your timeline, it seems like your decision may have already been made.

Although the timeline of a 1031 exchange can seem daunting.  

Prioritize deals that offer steady long-term returns over ones that seem too good to be true.DSCR Loans for Growth:Debt Service Coverage Ratio (DSCR) loans can be a game-changer for investors who want to scale.

The idea of getting a duplex seems great, but I am having trouble finding anything on and off market.

Even promised ROI seems difficult to achieve.

Seems like you're just a marketer working on a contract basis (not that I'm defending the program or even saying it's legitimate).

There is a ton of fix and flip going on in Brooklyn and I am trying to work my confidence towards that after my first project at a lower price point around 300K somewhere (CT seems like my only option). 

It seems to me that they all whether paid of free, will all have the same exact amount of houses because all the transactions are all public and so they seem to compete with each other based on the quality of the data of the houses, how up to date it is, and the user experience in configuring the how the layout is.