Should I sell my house, use any excess profit I make to purchase a duplex and start over from?

To give a general idea of some of the mess they left - left it with 2/3rd of the lightbulbs burnt out, holes in 4 doors, very poorly patched holes in the walls in more than 5 locations, missing showerhead, missing ceiling lights, excessive mold, large hole knocked into paneling, enough garbage to overflow a roofing trash trailer, 2 tvs (1 stood 4' tall), cobwebs and filthy walls, excessively filthy carpet including over 15 dog male (squiggly!)

My  contractor has advised that it would be more cost effective to simply furr out the walls and put up a nice smooth dry wall instead of trying to even out/improve the current situation.

You are currently getting a 2.5% yield (which I think is low for a dividend portfolio, I target 3.5% on my dividend portfolio).......but you can get a free cash flow yield on real estate often in excess of 10%. $500 a door may sound small to you....but at 4 properties throwing off $500 a door....you have created more passive income from real estate than you have from your stock portfolio. ($24,000 vs $20,000)

I struggle with this as well.I personally think VA loans are pretty cut and dry, I don't want to hear more discussion on how to buy a 4-plex and rent out 3 units to pay for your own.  

The inventory is there while it’s drying up for those REO buyers who are waiting for inventory that is never going to show up.2.Pricing.

When I say time I mean in excess of 6+ months - Again, I only speak from personal experience.

What a judge would deem as excessive is open to an interpretation.

Next you will want to dry out the area with a dehumidier and negative pressure air scrubber to eliminate any mold spores in the air.  

This means that you clearly have no intention on purchasing this property if you couldn't find a cash buyer and if you can't find one then you're going to cancel the contract and leave the homeowner high and dry.