For example, one bad tenant stops paying rent in January.

Right now you're earning 5.14% interest on your money, and you pay income taxes on every bit of that $1800 per year.Meanwhile, I won't even consider a rental property unless it pays me at least 10% cash-on-cash return and a minimum of $250+ in monthly cash flow.

Can I use Solo 401(k) as source of funds to pay 25% down and leverage debt for remaining principal amount to purchase a duplex that I will owner occupy and rent the other unit?  

You can see the law firm who represented us and the price we pay the attorney.

Hi All, what is the best way to pay contractor who work on home repairs.

Changing cabinetry after it's installed is generally expensive and looks piecemeal.If you put a dishwasher where the oven is, you'd have to pay a plumber to run a line back over to the sink and it will cut through that corner cabinet Basically, if you're moving stuff around, it is a big deal. 

You can see the law firm who represented us and the price we pay the attorney.

Since you have good income, you should try to maximize equity build rather than cash flow (which you will pay taxes on if you take out of the property to pay yourselves).

The cruise is free (gaming cross promotion) yet I had to pay taxes and port fees. 

Plus you'll have to pay to furnish the space, if it isn't already furnished.