Don't get emotional and 'talk yourself into" buying a house.Some of the deal breakers for her were houses under 1000 sf and houses that had anything functionally obsolete or just so odd that folks wouldn't want it.

I pulled a few flyers they were 60 to 80k...these  homes are functionally obsolete it cost to much to repair them and they are worth two little for gods sakes a most of them I saw would be 400 to 600k to rebuild and yet you can buy as many as you want for under 100k... there is no turning that stuff arouind

I had a friend in his mid 20s buy there a few years back and he's rented two rooms our the entire time effectively making his mortgage payment obsolete. 

I feel I'll always be able to find an engineering job but if I try the property management for a couple years, my engineering degree will become obsolete.

Or say it functionally obsolete if I just put an arch between the duplexes for the appraisal?

Techonology has thankfully made brokers obsolete. 

And make sure to account for the following expenses:1) Mortgage 2) Mortgage insurance (PMI or MIP) or FHA Risk base3) Property Taxes 4) City Taxes5) HOA (Home Owner’s Association) Dues and Fees and Assessments 6) Insurance  a) Property Hazard Insurance  b) Flood Insurance   c) Earthquake Insurance   d) Umbrella Insurance7) Vacancy Rate (usually 8% - the equivalent to one month a year, or 5-6% if multifamily and/or if experienced, if not use 8%)8) Utilities (you’ll have these if your tenant is not covering them and/or during vacancy)  a) Water § Sewer § Garbage  b) Electricity c) Natural Gas d) Propane9) General Maintenance (usually 5%)  a) Upkeep § Landscaping  b) Snow removal  c) Repairs   d) New Appliances 10) Capital Expenditures (usually 5%, higher is the property is old and obsolete, less if fully rehabbed and all mechanicals and roof are new)11) Property Management (8%, even if you self manage, your time still has value and there might be a time when you'll want to be completely hands off or you'll not be able to do it, vacation, retirement, etc.) 

Don't get distracted by clutter, odor, obsolete fixtures or appliances, wall or floor colors, etc.

Sure- in all my experiences in RE, there are 2 items that have become obsolete over time2 bedrooms1 bath The 2 bedroom is a recipe for vacancy.

Here is my list of comprehensive items to account for when evaluating an investment: 1) Mortgage2) Mortgage insurance (PMI or MIP) or FHA Risk base3) Property Taxes4) City Taxes5) HOA (Home Owner’s Association) Dues and Fees and Assessments6) Insurance Property Hazard InsuranceFlood InsuranceEarthquake InsuranceUmbrella Insurance7) Vacancy Rate (usually 8% - the equivalent to one month a year, or 5-6% if multifamily and/or if experienced, if not use 8%)8) Utilities (you’ll have some or all of these if your tenant is not covering them and/or during vacancy) Water § Sewer § GarbageElectricityNatural GasPropane9) General Maintenance (usually 5%) Upkeep § LandscapingSnow removalRepairsNew Appliances10) Capital Expenditures (usually 5%, higher is the property is old and obsolete, less if fully rehabbed and all mechanicals and roof are new)11) Property Management (8%, even if you self manage, your time still has value and there might be a time when you'll want to be completely hands off or you'll not be able to do it, vacation, retirement, etc.)