This is the reason I'm interested in going a little south to pueblo, where i can buy a new build duplex that saves on the Cap Ex , as well as commands that top tier rent.

If your market won’t command that sort of rent, then you are better off to simply flip it.

I invest in small towns, my take is many small towns have high percentage of renters vs owners, at least my my experience has been higher rents compared bigger markets due to demand, and SFR's command higher rents than Multi, the folks that tend to be in small towns  struggle with saving money and maintaining a credit score, so you need to overlook credit, and keep strict guidelines regarding payment.

I work in the private lending space and have a chance to talk to investors who are starting, those who have built a 500+ property portfolio, and everyone in between.I  dropped back to the M-day side in 2019 and I just took my second company command.

Most of the people in my group up North were ready to force appreciation to command higher rents, so you may want to prepare to do the same.

Any issues, simply call their commanding officer.

Adding bedrooms and bathrooms to a property can significantly increase its value, allowing investors to command higher rents or resale prices.

But there are those hot pockets in the city that are commanding rates like that. 

It is all area dependent; A solid tenant may require TI whereas a local startup may not be able to command it.  

Can't speak for other areas but we are able to command more than market rent for a basement studio with all utilities included.