You will need to determine what's legal in your state.

Providing comps and your estimated ARV I think is sufficient for them to determine their own estimated ARV.

I know from experience that only a tiny minority of small business owners follow their business/marketing plans to the letter.I guess what I'm trying to determine is this: If you bite the bullet and pay $2000, $3000, $4000 for the "full" package from one of these gurus, which of these programs are truly fundamentally, strategically and legally sound?

Review this area to determine (A) what instrument (Deed type) will be used to convey title, (B) who will select the title co/closing attorney, (C) who will pay for search-exam, certification and/or title insurance.

They like to see a time period of ownership more than a few months or days for this matter.

Just based on the limited information provided, I'd be inclined to do the duplex route.Owner occupied can help you quickly determine if you have the stomach for bigger/better deals in that same area - or if you need/want to adjust your investment focus. :)

A better solution MAY be to either partner with some responsible, long time friends, or buy a "fractional" ownership.

banks look to get fair market and most (i'd say) sell within 10 to 15% of market value (depending on where you live)...and at 10 to 15% of "market value" - who's determining that?

For example, if some took out a loan at 8 percent for 15 years and then maybe a few years later can get that loan refinanced at 6 percent (which will extend the period of the loan, as it will start back to 15 years again) how does one determine where it is too late to feasibly make this transition considering that the one is getting a lower interest rate, but extending the period of the loan at the same time.

Odds are that it will be more attractive to middle and upper income tenants then to low income tenants.There are so many different upgrades you can make and charge for, but as an outsider, it is hard to determine what your tenants would find most alluring.