As for insurance and snow, there is no way around these risks.

Lawncare, trash, snow removal etc.?

I found that I couldn't make the numbers work on several duplexes I was looking at, but adding the additional unit on the triplex allowed me to make the deal.Bottom line, find a great agent, a great property manger, keep the costs of incessant lead inspections in mind, know that property taxes there are absurd, screen your tenants very carefully, pick your neighborhood with great care, and you can make it work.

They're SNOW BIRDS...those are their "winterless" homes - not unused/abandoned properties. 

If you know these things need updating prior to your offer, have your agent either negotiate price or request the seller to update.DO think about maintenance and up keep of the property (Snow removal, Lawn care, etc.)DO research the tenant even if they are already in the unit. 

I will now barely be breaking even each month and probably be about $50/month underwater in the winter months from the snow plowing. 

The duplex is built in 1910, cash flows well, but has snow sitting on the roof half the year, I have to replace the furnace already, worry about ice/snow removal, and of course, had to pay for that frozen pipe (that goodness it didn't burst).   

I am located very near the mountains, and every year when the snow falls, a certain mountain city pulls all their listings.

Don't know your lake effect snow impact. 

“Dad, I’m thinking about buying a Snow Removal company.”