That being said, once you narrow down the type of investment that suits you, your finances, and your risk tolerance, the amount of information that applies to you will be greatly diminished, which makes this place a teensy bit less overwhelming.I see that you are looking at MI (great outfit) so you must be interested in exploring turnkey.

Once I narrow my list down to 25- I start making phone calls.

For example: If I were to buy a duplex (Each side 2 bed, 1 Bath) (One side Unit A, the other Unit B) and rent out Unit A completely (For $1000) and rent out the other room in Unit B ($500) would my monthly income just look like:Unit A: $1000Unit B: $500.Or do I need to account for me living in the unit when calculating the monthly income?

Since you don't currently have the capital on hand to pull the trigger on anything anyway, I would suggest narrowing your focus in your research to a few key questions.

You say the area is b+ and want to invest in more?

That should help narrow your focus and help you get off on the right foot.

Personally I would stay away from a 1 br apt, your narrowing your renter pool. 2.

We are buying rehabbing and renting in they price band and happy with our results.  

I know I need to narrow down the number of states to pursue  and am trying to set up a matrix that defines all the various factors that must be considered in each.... maybe I'll finish it before I die. :-) In the meantime, in just one evenings perusal I have learned a great deal more from the posts on this website than I have at any of the online auction sites.

I want to narrow down my search to a few cities/towns so I can focus my efforts on these areas.