Your below 300k budget will get you a nice home in all three areas. 

Two or three cash-out refis from now, it'll get too convoluted to do that.

Still only three responses and now in the 2nd week.

For me  pretty simple , Love real estate , love gardening , love Ju jit su, I find it easy to speak about those three things 24 /7 and I do talk a lot .

Understand your approach, but at the end of the day (assuming we're discussing analysis in support of a BUY vs WALK decision), in my opinion, IRR(Internal Rate of Return) is too academic and the NPV(Net Present Value) has factors one can adjust.We see lots of newbies just learning to calc cash/cash & cap rates and these are sufficient to make the go/no decision, using the K.I.S.S principle.Attempting to add IRR & NPV to the learning curve is not a requirement - - for you, it's another confirmation you're on the right track.

There are three houses involved but I will share one just to see if I am accurate with my numbers.  

Although you're going to owner occupy, I suggest basing your valuation under the assumption that you're not - you want the duplex to be self sufficient.

These can usually be purchased, converted, and rehabbed for less than the cost of purchasing  and rehabbing a three bedroom.

Is 500 yellow letters to absentee owners sufficient?

My childhood was not the best but my mom did everything she could as a single mother of three. until she met her husband when i was 10.