And does this option fit in or conflict with your personal end game?

Sell the SFR as-is and use the proceeds to fix up the vacant unit in the duplex.Sell both and move into a place that doesn't need work and fits their budget.Getting a loan would be the other option. 

the challenge of course is going to be to find the right replacements and fit into the identification calendar as well as the potential nightmare for funding approval given the moving pieces.If that proves daunting you could also think about buying one or two properties for cash and then refinancing them immediately after the 1031 to access the money for the next two.And yet another option that a lot of our clients are choosing these days is to separate the cash and debt as a form of defensive investing. 

Thus, I'd like to use a professional.)Last fall, I sought bids for snow removal (shoveling/blowing walkways - no plowing) and to those that bothered to respond, I got ridiculous prices back ($150-$225 per trip; it takes an hour total to shovel all the properties, including travel time between).This spring, I am seeking lawn maintenance bids and I am experiencing the same thing; outrageous (in my opinion) prices for the work involved.  

Investors get involved in deals that might look good. 

This will let the lender think that the sellers are still involved, but in the event of an insurance claim, they will receive nothing because they don't have an interest in the property. 2.

I ended up with the property that best fit my needs and was able to get a very strong feel for the market, laws, etc.

and to understand how they fit together in your toolbox, as none will give you everything (e.g, insurance is required and it will cover you for many situations, but not always; asset protection (LLC) is litigation insurance and complements regular insurance, by minimizing the target and making it unappealing).If you are a new investor, probably you will not have a lot of assets and/or equity to worry about (but even that is relative and subjective to each person tolerance to risk) so I would not worry about that till you pass that risk threshold (in my opinion 100K+ in equity, maybe 50K if you are really risk adverse) and you should be primarily concerned with finding good deals and growing your business first.

Thanks @Jay Hinrichs I wouldn't' consider this a whopper in terms of total profit but in terms of effort involved it certainly was lol.

and that's when I realized I really enjoy anything involving homes and that I wanted to be involved in real estate somehow for the rest of my life.I'm looking forward to meeting other people who are just as passionate!