The tax " penalty" will probably service the debt difference on two singles over a duplex and .you get better tenants.

I am sorry, but I feel this is truly a service to those who are desperate to not ruin credit or who can not manage costs of repairs etc etc....  

I'm curious as to what the going rates are for different services.

I sell staffing solutions and consulting services to companies.

Not sure if you are aware that FHA has a home improvement loan program.  

What I was thinking about doing is taking out the HELOC in order to make some improvements to the property using OPM and hang on to my cash.Given that I am putting down 25% on the property it seems like I would have enough equity to get a HELOC but I'm not up to speed on how HELOCs work.If there is a better option to accomplish the same goal that you can suggest I would love to hear it.  

@Phillip Dwyer asking great questions is key and something i need to improve on.

Also, do you know what the highest, best use of your Sonoma property is, given its current zoning, user permit, and existing improvements?

I'm wondering what people's thoughts are on the area, both as a rental market/cash flow, but also the chances of gaining some appreciation there if/when things improve there.It does look like there are some relatively reasonably priced (In terms of the average cost in Miami these days) properties for sale there - both single family and multi-family.

If I own the pharmacy, I have:Rent - a premium, high-rent payer,Credit – tenant has great credit,Building - vertical improvements in the form of the building,Site Improvements - in the form of a parking lot, curbing, storm controls, etc,Zoning – I own real estate zoned for a broad variety of commercial uses, andReal Estate - I have a great piece of underlying ground on the hard corner of a signalized intersection with the highest traffic counts in the area.There is a market for this type of product.