Better to concentrate on decreasing expenses and saving for now. 

If you only have one LLC and don’t need entity tracking, you could get a lower subscription and categorize your properties as ‘customers’, then units and tenants would be sub-customers.Simple Start would allow you to invoice your tenants (if desired through QBO) and produce basic reports. 

I know, big expense right.

.- So, you may want to consider locking in an interest rate via a 2nd mortgage.Do you have reserves for unexpected expenses?

i understand a true duplex might be a lot more expensive, but i think it's at least worth continuing to research and keeping an eye on.and sticking to my original point, OOS can be tough. 

For the most part, due to interest rates, breaking the 1% cap rate still won't provide positive return after expenses.

They are more expensive than conventional, but not by a huge amount.

If I can park the 388k ($415-27k) for one year at CD rate of 4.5% and then est 300k (after paying cap gain/depr recap) at 3.0% (assume CD rates lower) that interest income of about 24 months net of ordinary income tax is about the same as my current mortgage.Trying to play devil's advocate and think why selling this year does not make sense. 

I've had them long enough to keep pushing up rents so that I am at the top of my niche, but know not to exceed it because I'm just about at the point where if I raised rents another $50-$100 I'd be crossing over into the lower end for larger units.

Make the place nicer or lower the price to get bargain shoppers.