The cash flow can help from a DTI perspective if you’re going the conventional route but no bank is going to give you the income approach to valuation on a duplex.Did you have a realtor run comps and give you an ARV?

What I don't know is: 1) whether the whole process needed to be started differently  (I can refer you to a qualified professional who specializes in partial exchanges). 2) whether you're interested in taking a passive approach on this (as this partial exchange would be into an asset managed by someone else.

I'm looking for advice on how to approach the owner of the property next door to ask them to clean up a little bit so I can maximize the rental potential of my new investment. 

What brought you out to California??  

Have been using this approach for a few years.

It's refreshing to hear a more conservative approach to real estate investing than is often addressed.

My question is what would be the best approach to get on a fixed rate and be able to get some money back in order to invest in future deals.

I mean it makes me proud listening to them talk through all this with no HINT of this being an emergency. which they finally declared and there are pilots that can literally fly an entire career and never declare and emergency.Bottom line approach at their weight was about 140  this guy came barreling down final at 180 to 190 thats a big deal in a Commercial jet liner..  

Up to this point I have worked with an agent that has their standard offer contract that they use or wholesalers that send out the contract that they want used when sharing their off market deal so the DIY approach is new to me and I don't want to make a costly mistake.  

The banks will not take an income approach and if there are no like-kind properties around, it will be compared to the nearby duplexes, regardless if they are similar in year built, condition, sq. footage, etc.