with  the duplex it could be annoying and a diamond in the ruff to find.there are some houses we would consider living in and letting our family plant some roots... 

I haven't been to Huntsville in a long time, but I'd imagine with all the growth that you could dig up some diamonds. 

BostonAREIA.com is now in Medford I believe, and I have two meetings a month in Waltham and Worcester, Black Diamond url in my signature. 

Here's what I gleaned as a summary of hardening tips for reducing turnover/maintenance costs:panasonic bath fans with timers in bathrooms4 coats of poly on wood floorsdouble door stopstile floors, showers vs surroundssingle lever shower valve vs. doublereplace toilets with steel parts/mechanicals whenever it starts to runKwikset smart keys (some debate over efficacy)door stoppers on all hingesremove pop-up drains and replace with commercial drains2' drain lines from sinks with an accessible clean outbuy a key cutter - maker for $50 on craigslistGranite tile counters - need a diamond polisher and tile sawUsed Fixed vs. friction shower rodsKeyed deadbolt and passage knob on outside doors to prevent accidental lockout5/8' fire core drywall - can't put a fist thru it and its fire-resistant1/4" board to back up towel rodspolyurethane cabinets under sink to pre seal and drain water to the floor2x4 base under cabinets to prevent particle board cabinets from failing where they meet the floorVinyl scrap under sink and up the back wallBest of luck!

Not sure if there are diamonds in the rough but I'm going to find out.So, all that said, is the goal of $0 to $1K per month in six months doable?

Until then check out the NEREIA in Chelmsford and the Black Diamond meeting in Waltham.  

The trick is finding that diamond. 

Do you not like to get your hands dirty and just want to find diamond in the rough properties for other investors to buy and get paid a finders fee?

Others are diamonds in the rough which can get a good cosmetic reno and after Refi, produce a good COC return. 

I personal favorite is the Black Diamond meeting in Waltham (Alternates every month with their Worcester location, next Waltham one is July) and they draw well from both sides of the city so you can make NH and Cape connections there.