The owner wouldn’t sell just the duplex so I combined it with another property he wanted to sell...all or none I said.

I think the Wealth Club is doing a great jobhttps://thewealthclub.org/Good combination of teaching and people who are actually doing investing for a living

It does not work well in a modern economy.

If you combine that with a closing arm then the doors will always be locked unless somebody with a key opens it or somebody opens from the inside and decides to prop it open. 

This might be related to not picking the right list, your not having realistic expectations, your not having a compelling pitch, or some combination thereof.Don't assume, for example, that just because someone is an "absentee owner" they'll sell you their house for 30% below market value just because you sent them a "I buy houses" letter/postcard.Bottom line, there is a lot more to it then the list.

You can read my story of how I did exactly this combination of 1031 to 121 and ended up with the sailboat of my dreams raising my family on the sea for a decade at www.the1031investor.com . 

Im not sure if its a square footage thing a number if units thing and/or if i have X number of units if they combine the number of units and classify me as a commercial landlord

You will need to combine the knowledge you learn here with your knowledge of your local market, and likely that of a mortgage broker and real estate agent in order to determine your best plan of action.You can call a mortgage broker and find out how much you may get pre-approved for.

I'd really love to find a way to combine my passion for internet marketing with real estate. 

Cara, what will be your combined gross rental income?