I am going to add into the inspection objection a point about the water heaters being original and likely to fail soon, along with full AC/furnace service in an effort to reduce the risk on those fronts. 

For duplexes is appx $500 a month in cash flow enough to take the risk on the downpayment?

Hi! I have a question for all you seasoned buy and hold investors.... or anyone with any advice really. What kind of research do you do to avoid buying property in an area that might be difficult to rent? Thanks in ad...

No but you need to understand that it increases your risk and your costs. 

They think they have correct information on the valuation of properties and can mitigate risk.

Brian, I would be spending time analyzing the risks here and not just the numbers and future value adds. 

This is also a bit of a destination, as it is right on the WA coastline, so Airbnb has potential.All in all, I'm confident that I can increase my net to 92k annually, and after expenses and debt service (partial commercial, partial seller carry), this puts me at ~$2,500 a month cash flow. 

Someone in this age range is more likely to take risks, not foresee consequences, not take responsibility for their actions, and tends to follow peer pressure above that of authority.

My wife, Carrie, and I are high school sweethearts.

One thing about Wholesaling is that your risk is low and the return on investment can be great.