Etc....... there are about 10 duplex’s before mine and they are all alike (townhouse kind of styled)....MY duplex starts the next set and there are about 10 of ours as well (side by side styled) across the street and the rest of the neighborhood are alllllllll single family homes that are pretty nice and well maintained.So I recently cut down a pine tree from my front yard that I felt like was just a hassle due to the pines that it dropped leaving a constant mess...I bought a Japanese maple tree to put in place of where the pine was and some small shrubs to fill the middle of the duplex and the sides.....The duplexes I mentioned that were BEFORE me all have small trees alike and all are maintained by some landscaping company and from mines down all pretty much have PINE trees.

I believe that you would have to exchange for a like property.

Every company is going to operate a bit differently and you want to ensure that you are comfortable with their operations as well as their style of communication.No company is perfect but a great company will provide great communication to owners and tenants alike and be proactive in refining their systems so when the inevitable hiccups occur there is a plan of action to make corrections and grow stronger over time. 

In todays environment the risk is no longer mitigated by those rapid equity building factors, the strategy turns investors into gamblers.

We install new roofs on 80% of our properties, and a roof that has enough damage that leakage is a likely issue needs to be replaced.

@Eric C. who would you consider to be a likely "right lender?"

Welcome to El Paso.You and I are very alike, newbies HAHAI just got my first home, a duplex. 

It's not what I would ever recommend, but it is doable.Your worst case scenario (and not a likely one) is the IRS auditing one of you and then deciding to cross-check against the other.

BUT two great minds think alike

Jared, welcome to BP. this place is a treasure trove of info for the new investor and veteran investor alike.