Single family homes are usually the best as they have fewer limitations.

Some thoughts on your situation overall:In terms of vetting, I personally there is a limit to how much you can mitigate risks when working with a smaller contractor.

You absolutely can, it will just limit the buyer pool a little bit!

@Kmsuea Abdei signing an Exclusive Buyer Agency Agreement is common, but it can limit you to working with just one agent.

You'll still need some liquidity for reserves and to be reimbursed for work completed in draws, however its usually limited to 10-20% of the rehab budget needed in reserves to make the deal work.You're welcome to DM for more details if interested. 👍 Good luck!

This tends to be more time intensive and more for someone that has a lot of time and limited income as you may find a "home run" type deal with some effort/energy.

Like @Sarah Miller and @Marcy Albrecht said, you can buy places within the city limits but it's still about location. with that said, i'm always looking out for my end game. one of the issues with buying in certain parts of canton is that when you decide you're done, you may not be able to unload your properties.

Are you limiting your SFH to Duplex conversions to properties that do not require an architect? 

You bet it is lower risk than being on the equity side.

Condos are a better bet since they usually give you more freedom to rent and are easier to sell.