An honest opportunity to set my family up for when I am gone, which will be much earlier than I would like.

How much are you going to set aside as cash reserves?

I don't have a business set up yet.

The duplexes available in the Boston market are typically in rougher areas that come with another set of issues.If it was your first rental property, which of the three would you go with (all other things being equal - assuming they were in the same quality location).  

One suggestion: people probably have their keywords set to Ypsilanti (not Ypsi) and Ann Arbor (not A2), so your message might not be reaching the full intended audience.

But there is a nice large community kitchen in the hallway with a 70" TV and couches set up for entertaining guests.  

When you say you are willing to help others to learn, what is your RE skill set?

The mortgagee is also putting pressure on the owner to sell.With no tenant upstairs, and that I have a transferable (if it sells) lease on the building for $1,000 / month for the next four years, I'm struggling to find a deal that works for me and the others.That said, the building is in need of some serious repairs which puts my business in some risk.

In that kind of setting, you'll lease it that day if you have good interest. 

An Mortgage Loan Originator (MLO) license in CA will set me back just under $1,000.A Real Estate sales person License will set me back about $1,000 also.Just starting here and I need income fast.