I’ve gotten a few solid bids that won’t change based on final layout, and a few 5-10% budget estimates that could change based on layout etc…@Jason DiClemente, the contractors are breaking out by generic line items at this point, by end of next week I should have floor plans and schematics that will allow me to get detailed SOW and bids.

Current Situation:My offer has been accepted and I have 9 days of due diligence remaining.My Ask:Without reading “The Book on Investing in Real Estate with No (or Low) Money Down” YET...What are some methods/strategies to lower my upfront costs for the down payment, while not getting beat up on interest rates?

The construction loans I know of require 10% down on the final price and they would want money in the bank after closing in case of cost overruns or the property not appraising for the build price.If I were you I would go to open houses of new developments in your area and check out the builders, and their terms. 

Invest in a few good books about landlording.

I finally had enough capital for a down payment on a duplex in Baltimore County (based on the prices I had been eye-balling for the past few years) but they all seem to have very recently gone up in price about 25-35% in the areas I had planned to target, so I'm having a hard time moving forward with finding a property to purchase.I work in Baltimore City and have seen various areas improve over the past few years.

. - a good zoning attorney will be much more helpful than a contractor's advice.I still recommend you to look for a contractor beforehand - good contractors are booked way in advance!

@Brandon Hall wrote a book with that method in it. 

One of my favorite quotes by Jim Rohn is, "Your level of success will seldom exceed your level of personal development".If I was coaching my younger self, this is what I would recommend: Read Brandon Turner's book on Rental Property Investing https://www.amazon.com/Book-Rental-Property-Investing-Passive-ebook/dp/B018UTI2DOListening to the BP Real Estate podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/podcastListening to the BP money podcast https://www.biggerpockets.com/moneyshowAttend your local REIA meetings to networkStart analyzing deals to get practiceEngage more on the BP forumsAll the best!

Purchased multiple homes ( owner Occ only ) looking too jump into y first property , learn from mentors , info , books , videos etc. hoping too meet locals open too sharing info with motivated Neg.

My final goal is to connect with 100 people on the BP network by the end of October.