Tenant laws could be worse (cough..DC) but there is still much merit in investing in an area so reliant on government workers (stability in marketplace). 

I think both have their merits and it's up to your acceptable level of risk and your sense of adventure.Tom

The original poster queried about the merits of what is essentially a copywriting question.IMHO, condolence statements from strangers are inappropriate and insincere.

There is a thread in another BP forum debating the merits of keeping your RE mortgaged in order to make the asset seizure less desirable in the event of a lawsuit.  

The original plan was to paint the exterior a light green with white fascia, but one of the neighbors supposedly harassed my handyman today because the sample of the green I put on the outside too closely resembles the shade of green on his house (they're different shades and he was totally out of line, but he's not totally without merit).  

@Edward Shin While that may sound good, it has no merit.  

Sounds like they don't want the case decided on the merits of whether or not fractional debt is a security alone; they have added some "insurance" for a judge or jury.  

And those young tech workers will probably flock the neighborhoods around lake merit.

@Dennis Standers It seems to me that your lender will look at the duplex "deal" on its own merits, so you may have to qualify in much the same manner as you did for your first SFR.

Wouldn't you be better off simply getting advice about the merits of your deal from a seasoned investor, like a mentor or colleague that you trust?