If they have cash reserves then I am sure they would be interested in the chance to earn a return way higher than what they are currently getting (assuming it's sat in a checking account or something similar).  

Get your criteria on paper before you do another showing,  put it in the hands of everybody who views  (along with lead disclosure,  WA landlord tenant law,  fair housing poster,  and everything else I cannot remember you are required to give people who are viewing)  and send copies post-haste to anybody you already showed who is still interested.   4)  I don't think it is illegal to change your price after advertising  (clearly it is OK to reduce your price, if nobody is biting)  but if you have already taken applications it would be kinda sleazy to change the price on them,  and if you do, make darn sure you communicate  the same exact price change for EVERYONE who has already viewed or you could be hit with discrimination claims.  

Working on reducing expenses and normalizing rents but 1 side pays $900/mo + electricity, other pays $800 and I pay electricity. 

If one partner puts in more money than the other, you could change ownership interests, you could treat it as a loan, you could reduce income/profits from the non-contributing partner until the contributing partner is paid, etc.You will want to discuss with each other who will be doing what management functions and whether that is worth anything to you both.

The more time you spend learning the more time you'll spend earning.

I absolutely thought about somehow getting the money to buy my brother out because we were earning almost 3000 a month and the mortgage including escrow was only about 800 a month (and i have people for repairs so they aren’t too expensive), but the woman who was in charge of the duplex (living trust) while we were too young didn’t pay taxes and let the account accrue an escrow shortage and we started having to pay over 1800 a month just to catch up.

What skill do you have that can be a fall back to earn you income ?

I am not sure if you are required to, but if the repaired item genuinely reduces the value of the flat but you maintain the same rent, then the tenant may be left disappointed.

  - The Boring Company, which seeks to reduce the cost of digging tunnels by an order of magnitude. 

Home Possible is an option with a low down payment SFR or MFR and has a reduced mortgage insurance when purchasing in area's with no income restrictions.