We've removed a lot of K&T over the years due to Insurance mandates & code requirements.

Should cost me no money out of pocket for the refi.Like I mentioned before, both of these properties are in excellent shape with very little expense having to be put into them, so cash flow is actually much higher (for now) due to low maint costs.Neither of these properties make sense if looking strictly at the 1% rule which is why you have to consider many things when making a decision.

This is not strictly about your refund.

When building a duplex and i'm the GC do I need an engineer to be involved or can I just get by with an Architect stamping off on my plans and making sure they are up to code? 

If its strictly a return of initial capital wouldnt that not be taxable?

I am not allowed to broadly advertise specific commission rates; however, I am allowed to mail postcards offering special commission rates to areas where I've recently sold or if they give me permission to target a specific group (like non-owner-occupants in a specific zip code, for example). 

My contractor is sending me photos of the work almost daily revealing huge structural defects, damage from rot and termites, and he's telling me the inspector is telling him there are a ton of code violations that are going to add to the cost, for example the HVAC ducting needing to be totally redone. 

Maybe it's different if you bid online, but they said purchases were strictly cash only via cashiers checks. 

You guessed it, a meter was broken into at one property and RG Electric demanded a whole new coded meter that was out of stock for 6-7weeks. 

They set door codes, message (or call) guests, schedule cleaners, adjust the thermostat, monitor my cameras, & call a plumber just as easily as I could or as a local PM could, for 1% of the cost.I wrote much more about this exact topic in this post here.