We have a plethora of small multifamily properties here compared to a lot of other cities in the country, which typically provide better cash flow than SFRs.

You're comparing apples to oranges.

Unfortunately, comparable properties in the neighborhood have appreciated over 150k in the last year.

The comps that he used are of houses 10-12 years old whereas that the one we bought is only 4 years old.The appraiser chose 2 comparable sales that were considerably older than the one that was being valued.

California since real estate is handled very differently in Maine compared to California.

Problem with this is double the security deposit and a triple signing bonus is a drop in the bucket compared to the costs renting to this segment of the population is going to cost landlords.

You left out one of the most important parts of this discussion and that is how your units compare to market rent units. 

The best thing to do to determine adding value is comparing to other duplexes in the area. 

The realtor commission is nothing compared to the additional benefits and sales price. 

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