We renovated the heck out of it-brand new carpet, new porcelain tile and laminate flooring downstairs, epoxied the garage floor, new countertops, sink, pull down faucet, glass backsplash, new paint entire house, all new baseboards, added crown molding, and artificial turf and hard scaping front and back yard.

I think the existing leases are older than 2020, so would be OK to move into one unit to start off.

Leverage existing equity in the ways you mention.4. 

I am getting ready to close on a duplex with one existing tenant who is about four months into a one year lease. 

Now we have a situation where we need to build a huge amount of new units just to keep up with demand - we simply have more people than roofs - and so the cost of existing homes has to creep up closer to the cost of new construction plus land.

Can I tap my existing homes for financing?

It sounds like you're trying to preserve this 'existing' lease instead of allowing the daughter's life change to terminate the lease and start fresh with a new tenant.

Venture capital money will flow to any state if the business idea is worth it.Doing a quick Google search looking only at top page results, I found multiple rankings that place Texas much higher than California:CNBC ranking Texas is 2, California is 32https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/1...Forbes ranking Texas is 2, California is 31https://www.forbes.com/best-st...Chief Executive Texas is 1, California is 50https://chiefexecutive.net/up-...Bipartisan Tax Foundation state business tax ratings Texas is 11 and California is 49https://taxfoundation.org/2021...No doubt California has a strong legacy of innovation and the existing talent base will make the state a powerhouse for years to come.

At this point I am in no way shape or form changing my lease or increasing their rents when i know that the laws here in NY are pretty much non-existent for renters.

or you saying no lease ever existed for this tenant on this property?