This will probably be unpopular but you should save for a few more years even if you save enough for your down payment, if you are exhausting all your savings, you will struggle with any unexpected repairs.

@Kamryn DeVaultTo invest in a duplex, consider factors like neighborhood quality, economic stability, safety, property condition, cash flow potential, financing options, tenant screening, lease agreements, future potential, legal and zoning considerations, maintenance and management, networking, and starting small and scaling.

Turns out, the demand for renovated homes actually picked up, since many locals were looking to move into places without the hassle of dealing with repairs themselves.From what I've heard, Tampa's market is showing some strong signs of resilience.

I have some cleaning and repairs that need to be done in the empty unit along with the common area. 

For someone that's not as conservative, or a different view on the cycle, they might have a different opinion than me on all of this.2) Sponsor quality check: (takes about 45 minutes per deal)I believe that a great sponsor can take an average looking deal and make it great, and that in mediocre sponsor can take a fantastic looking deal and make it bad (especially if there is a severe recession).

However, I blocked the dates until September 20th to complete some necessary repairs.

Values drop, sometimes drastically, rents go down as quality of tenant declines; cost of operstimg properties increase, and governmental interference, especially in the form of rent control, can slash values and profitability severely. 

There are areas in Cleveland where that's doable, but the neighborhoods are probably going to be pretty rough or need repairs.

@Abel Eskinder since you're out of the country, you'll probably want to give some thought to our copy & paste info below:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a Class A property in Class D area, what quality of tenant will you get?

The amount of work and repairs that go into it may never catch up for you if you are maxed out on renovation budget.