I am meeting one realtor today to get a better idea and opinion whether to sell or hold.

After meeting with a number (like 8) different contractors the quotes i got back made the deal, not a deal (i think). 

Your financial background is a huge asset, and it’s great that you’re starting locally in Milwaukee while keeping an eye on future expansion.If you’re looking to connect with like-minded investors, the Rental Property Association of Wisconsin is a fantastic resource for networking with rental portfolio owners, accessing legal resources, and finding contractors. https://www.aasew.org/For mentors, funding sources, and flippers, the Milwaukee REIA is another great group to explore. https://www.milwaukeereia.com/I’m a member of both and find unique value in each—maybe we’ll cross paths at a future meeting!

With you managing their properties for them, it gets more difficult to meet this test.  

. $800,000 might not even get me into a duplex that meets my requirements.

If you pay more, you won't meet your metrics and will probably have negative cashflow and/or equity.You may have to make 10, 20 or even 100 offers to get one accepted at the price that meets your numbers.This is what all investors did BEFORE the Great Real Estate Crash of 2008-2010.

we have a group that meets biweekly and has a whatsapp chat.

It's worth meeting with a CPA before making any decisions. 

So, there is no argument for using margin account to try meet/beat REI returns because it would just nurf your WS returns down all the more, expanding the divide between the 2.  

I'm also very open to meeting other investors and to exchanging ideas.