Might be able to get a contract with the buyer of the cherries and thow some cash at you upfront for signing a agreement to buy the crop but I don't know what the alternate bearing looks like on Cherries in Washington and the brokers may not be willing to pay upfront in that area... or a upfront lease payment from the renter... 

The way I see it, a brand spanking new duplex wouldn't be the smartest deal because of the high purchase price and you'd likely not cash flow, if not be in the negative.

That $153k would allow me to buy 2-3 rentals and cash flow close to the same amount/ maybe a little more each month.

Purchase price: $158,000 Cash invested: $35,000 Sale price: $250,000 This was our first house Hack that we added value to.

And the ONLY reason to do it this way is the effect on the amount of cash the buyer needs to put into the transaction IF they’re financing the purchase.  

Be familiar with calculating ROI, prospective cash flow, and other important measures.

A friend owns a good cash flowing low income Multi family property in TX.

The process took 2-3 years, I was not in a hurry, busy with my corporate career and rather cash strapped.I forget the refinancing fee, but it was minimal.

We are not first time home buyers but have three single family homes ( rental) properties in California but want to buy our first apartment complex out of state for generating  cash flow for the long term.

Unless you're paying cash, something to consider.