The rents were $500 in each of the identical 1/1 units when I purchased the quad. 

I was interested by it and that led to me scouting out properties/short sales for my family and convincing them to buy.That identification of opportunity secured my parents retirement, and then some, as we (due to dumb luck) bought multiple properties in the HQ2 Crystal City area between in 2010-2017.Fast forward to my RE investment growth, the property I closed on yesterday was at 80% of appraisal, and a model match was just listed on the market for 130% of our final sale price (identical condition as ours).

This is actually great, however...2 - Flipping gets you $53k in hand..right now.3 - Looking at #1 and #2 together, it will take you over 7 years to accumulate $53k...if you have no problems holding over those 7+ years.4 - Doing as I suggested, gets you this very same deal...plus another identical one. 

- Market is very high priced such that getting a 1% rule off MLS is extremely rare- MLS listed, move-in ready, C+/B- property in a C+/B- neighborhood- Property is a full duplex leased at $850 and $650 per month- Leases are month-to-month so rent could be raised or tenants replaced with relative ease- Rent-o-Meter shows the median rent to be $1300/unit and average to be about $1100/unit- Driving thru neighborhood a neighbor said he pays $1000/mo for similar/identical and is a multi-year tenant- Assuming $1000/mo/unit yields ~$125/unit cash flow and ~23% COC Return (10% reserve each for Vac., Mgt, Rep & CapEx)This all sounds too good to be true but here's the kicker: Rent-O-Meter shows the average rent trending significantly downward from about $1450 to $1100 over the last 24 months.So, my question is do I pursue what looks like about as good a deal as exists in my market (at least with on-market properties) or do I take the falling rent as a significant red flag?

For example, suppose you are considering three identical properties that rent for the same amount (yes, this is an over simplified and contrived example!).

It seems like a fourplex surrounded by other (almost identical fourplexes) selling for about 50-60k more.

Like I said they appear very responsible and are aware of things and our side because two sides are identical.

 $95k a piece, all next door to one another.  2 are identical houses, each side having 2 bedrooms.  

Joe, I bought from the same provider using a very similar approach, and we've reached nearly identical conclusions about their strong and weak suits.

She has a rehearsed sales pitch which is identical to what you hear online in her sales presentations.