Partner and I believe in the model and saw first hand with our first investment what sort of returns were possible.

The buyer may not pay, doesn't pay taxes, wrecks the place, etc.Legal action is possible but also takes time and money, that can be spend better elsewhere.So my question is simple, is there some sort of insurance/service that simply guarantees me that I recieve all my monthly payments?

That's sort of bizarre.

I have been thinking about doing a live-in-flip, or some sort of single family value add that we could move into so that the duplex can just be a rental.

They are otherwise good tenants that I don't want to alienate, but I'm sort of annoyed about this.

I collect that sort of data for my market but it takes time and a lot of cold calling. 

They're sort of like a thrift...

What sort of cap rates can one expect for multi family - say 8-12 unit - apartment blocks in East Austin?

@Matt Bertsch The whole thing was a sort of in house job actually. 

Presuming you have a descent NOI on the property that would support a very occasional $200 expense, and you aren't worried about starting some sort of 'trend' with multiple tenants suddenly complain to get a new appliance, why not try and swap it out and appease the tenant.You win in more than one way... (1) the tenant quits complaining / you get peace and quiet, (2) when you raise their rent the next time they feel like you listened to their concerns and took care of them, etc (you buy some good will).