I hate recessed lights with a passion since they hardly ever deliver good lighting.

Did your purchase contract state that two of the units needed to be delivered empty at closing?

Its best to under promise and over deliver when it comes to assessing value for a listing.

Even if ground lease you need to deliver the site buildable with utilities in place the tenant just puts up the building.

If you had the property delivered empty the city would require the current owner to pay the balance when switching back in to their name. 

In your case, you delivered notice to vacate.

I'm purchasing my first deal, it a duplex and the owners say it will be delivered empty.

Especially, when you have partners who will constantly doubt your promises when you can't deliver on what you promised.It is not going to be a sweet deal if you get high-priced creative financing and then when you have two partners you have to share the spoils with. 

This means deals are designed around the specific micro-market the property is in, the strategy used on that property that delivers the specific financial cost/returns to the REI required by their individual REI Plan.IF you want to make deals, you need to know as many strategies as you can learn, learn how to analyze markets, and learn how to design, and stick to, a REI Plan based on your financial goals...and these goals are specific. 

Hopefully you wrote this in your offer... that you checked the owner occupant box on the RPM - (purchase contract) puts a vague contractual situation in your favor that the seller needs to deliver one unit available for owner occupancy.