. $50 may not seem like much at first, but thats $600 at the end of the year, plus what I would save on utilities to heat and cool the extra space, which to me $600 is a nice kayak or all the money I need for christmas presents etc.So from the perspective of a previous renter I would suggest some or all  of the following.

Yes very normal to take some or all.

Has anyone used a 203k loan and done any or all the repairs to the property as contractor+ homeowner using the funds from the loan?  

@Cowan Bucks you have to look at two things:First, if you were to rent out both side of the duplex (or all three units of a triplex), would it have positive cash-flow after all expenses?

Were any mortgage brokers, or all direct to banks? 

Need someone (either CPA or Financial Strategist or Attorney or all) who could advice on best practices to raise capital and save taxes in an efficient and legal way.

If none of the strategies you like and are willing to work anymore due to external circumstances, you can keep what you have from the time when some or all strategies worked and focus on preparation for market conditions to get back into your frame of strategies.I agree that currently most published strategies (at least published on BP) still work if you find the right deals.

seems like something that would just be an oral agreement between tenants, like you mow this week and I will do next, but then what happens when one moves out and the new tenant doesnt have a lawn mower, etc....... in large multi's it just seems simple that its the landlords responsibility, but allot more fuzzy on duplexes, especially ones that are a house split into 2 units so they dont have their own set yard space.

I will quote a well written article on mbna which explains balance transfers, which are certainly the needed item to counter the end of the 0% interest period - "A balance transfer is where part or all of the debit balance (or debt) you owe to another lender is transferred from one credit or store card to another, usually to save on interest repayments.A balance transfer credit card can be a good way to keep track of your balance and payments with everything in one place.If you’ve recently compared credit cards and discovered one that charges you less interest, transferring debt from one credit card to the other could save you money.

I'm willing to take a look to see if I'd take one or all or if I know someone.