@Erik Estrada right now Amex got me at a special rate of 9.99% I’m talking to my lender right now on qualifying to get a loan to buy the property

I highly recommend a well-qualified REALTOR who works with investors and knows how to help you best.7.

Deegan and @Arda Bircan There are technically 7 Tests for Material Participation (but 3 that are most common) -> the individual 500 hour mark, that the activity of the individual is substantially all, and that the individual participates more than 100 hours + no-one else spends more time than them.Litmus Test: Are your hours integral to the operationsThe hours that qualify must be substantially all hours and have a legitimate impact on the rental activities.Activities that generally count: showing the property for rent, taking tenant applications & screening tenants, preparing & negotiating leases, cleaning & preparing the units for rent, repairs, and improvements, managing the construction, purchasing supplies & materials, inspecting the property, responding to tenant complaints & inquiries, collecting & depositing rents, evicting tenants, writing & placing advertisements, and working on your websiteActivities that don't count: education & research, investor-type activities, and travel time..

It looks like I “may” still qualify for a partial exemption based on those 18 months. 

Type doesn't matter.What gets people confused sometimes are the terms "like kind" and "qualified use". 

And as @Basit Siddiqi said, you would also have the opportunity to put the portion of gain from the investment side of the duplex into a qualified opportunity zone. 

Not sure how you get proof of no bite history, but if your insurance company doesn't have problems with either breed, go for the first candidate who applied and was qualified. 

Any advice on how to quickly track down a qualified GC in my area with both experience and appetite?

Hard to qualify if you have a W-2 job. 

The study identifies with forensic engineering detail the immediate Bonus Depreciation 5, 7 and 15-year personal property class lives qualifying portions of a building that are normally buried in 27.5 year residential or 39 year commercial categories.