If you're still in college and working with an FHA loan, a duplex can be a solid option.

also curious if its best practices when assuming a loan to forgo the escrow and just pay the taxes and ins out of pocket when needed....but perhaps that triggers something else? 

Don't start throwing ideas at them like seller financing or numbers etc until you have an idea of if they actually intend to sell and what their needs are around the sale.This is very practical advice and I agree with the sentiment about not going into a conversation presuming anything about where their headspace is at.

It's hard to harvest equity on these plays, unless you commit, long-term, towards very light leverage, as the only practical ways to benefit from the equity in your portfolio, if you plan to never sell it, only exchange it, for a lifetime, are to spend the cash flow, or cash out refi.

I was a college athlete whenever I learned about BiggerPockets and really started my investing career.

How legit is their practice if you have an idea about it?

They generally have out of college/construction unseasoned folks doing the paper permit reviews from what I've seen based on the comments that come back. 

And all of this happens during the contract period reducing purchasing risk.Great strategy especially when practiced just on the outskirts of a major metro area in a country setting(a weekend getaway property that can be marketed to city folk).  

A lot of education and a little bit of practice is something that one can accomplish with elbow grease. 

It drives me crazy when I hear these stories preventive maintenance is what should be practiced and discussing all avenues of the deal and the borrowers docs in advance.