One of the more promising houses I was told if filled with dangerous mold, many unsealed points (which I could see) and has a history of water damage.

The Bobcat Fire, which has since burned over 120,000 acres and destroyed at least 80 homes, was in danger of destroying everything she had worked for.

That is just not enough money to find a duplex in an area that is not dangerous. 

Therefore, buyers are scrambling to get into a fewer number of listings and driving prices up.That being said, in off-market properties you can still find great deals, so it’s all about setting up systems to find those deals.

When you're doing a consolidation exchange (selling several and buying fewer/bigger) that means the aggregate of all the sales.But here's the opportunity - You can allocate your proceeds in any way you want. 

The advantage of the LA duplex is that you have 2 water heaters instead of 8, fewer kitchens, fewer bathrooms, less roofing, etc.

Interior Air QualityBathrooms must have a window that can be opened or must have other adequate ventilation.The unit must be free from dangerous pollutants, such as carbon monoxide.8.

Generally you'll have fewer "surprise fees" with these, but can expect to still pay anything that doesn't fall into that brokerages marketing approach out of pocket. 

(A balanced market is roughly 6.5 months of inventory).There were a whopping 50% fewer listings on the market compared to this time last year in the metro area.

Plus these size complexes tend to be older and have fewer amenities and be in less desirable neighborhoods, so you automatically get a lower class of tenant.