They are commanding higher prices than before because people are paying those kind of prices. 

All may offer some of the same financial benefits (owner financing, etc...) and, depending on your own reserves, may allow you to create the premier facility in the area that commands premium rants and can really be a cash cow.  

We are hoping to do a few more improvements before renting to help our chances of commanding the highest possible rent. 

That would help in determining the quality of the deal.Given my knowledge of Los Angeles and the areas that would command ~$1M for a duplex, your baseline rents seem on the lower end, especially if you are going to put in ~$25K in to each unit.

The way Cuomo is blackmailing the President by holding NY hostage to commandeer federal money for our mismanaged state, I could be waiting a mighty long time if I wait for the "coast to be clear" to raise rents. 

It is adjacent to Augusta and Fort Gordon which is now the primary Cyber command for the US Army.  

Army Aviation and Missile Command, and numerous small and medium sized businesses.Huntsville, AL not only offers many great opportunities for living, working, and higher education, the city is also contains numerous parks and museums, ensuring residents a wide of variety of activities and entertainment.General Facts 4th largest city in AlabamaNicknamed “Rocket City” due to long history of association with space flight, and is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight CenterOn 2014’s 100 Best Places to Live (Livability.com)In the Top 50 of Forbes Best Places for Education14th Best US City for Tech Startups (Entrepreneur Magazine)

This is just the tip of the iceberg...I like single family homes because they are affordable, available in my market, command good rents, and have less maintenance of people and facilities than multifamily.

As for detaining them, it is all about tactics; 12" mag lite shined in their face and held the right way so it can be used as a club if they get too close, Springfield Arms XD40 as back up, lots of yelling commands peppered with curse words. 

The homes were older, in need of renovations, and most residents were Medicaid waiver recipients, which, in the assisted living space, translates to about the lowest rates you can command and additional layers of government red tape and oversight.