here is the situation. i left a really good paying job to take care of my 81 year old parents because my dad is chronically ill and my mom is almost there. i wont go into too much detail, but my sis doesnt help them. ill leave it at that. we have a person who comes twice a week to help with cleaning and other household tasks. i carry the bulk of the weight cooking their meals, running errands, grocery shopping, picking up meds, and taking them to dr appointments. its a full time job. i get a small salary of $1000 a month from a care giver sub contractor for the VA. ive been paying my bills with what savings ive had, but only have a few months of funds left. i own a duplex. i have over 200k in equity. i live in texas and texas has weird laws about refi and heloc/heloans when the property is 4 units or less and owner occupied. i would rather not sell, but if thats my only option i will have to at some point.does anyone have any advice or possibly be able to point me to lenders who might be able to work with my situation?

That will set the price points you can shop at.

We intend to gift properties and money to our heirs and they can be investors and landlords or whatever they chose to do.Not sure I really want a financial planner telling me what I am doing is screwed up, but I will listen to other RE investors and any good ideas they may wish to share. 

College students may appreciate a quiet study area or a place to visit with guests while their roommate studies in the apartment.Maybe there's a need for a coffee shop or other small business that needs very little room but also provides a service your tenants would be interested in?

I talk a lot about REI Nation and how they've been my fantastic partner over the past year - they are a one-stop-shop and have helped me through some challenging situations.

It will require fabrication but you can negotiate that as well.There are a couple of shops that sell standard round over edge granite slabs, 25"x96" prefab, tier 1 for $98 each.

What you are asking for is called venue shopping.

As I was juggling things at work, I could take an hour lunch to shop rentals, something I couldn’t do with a distant market. 

He honestly is a one stop shop. 

No, they have a deep understanding of their customers and place stores where the customers want to shop to maximize sales and profits.