are there any weekly/monthly maintenance needed from owner or all maintenance can/should be done by tanents.

Short of the NOLA metro area, a massive portion of LA is considered rural enough to be eligible under that program, and has a few extra features that the FHA loans don't, most significantly is 100% finance option (zero down payment), but also can support new builds, such as you picking some land, dropping in septic and well, and then building a new home (or placing a permanently attached mobile), additionally, while there is a PMI requirement, the rate for the PMI is lower than FHA's requirements.Also, check out LHC below, as they may additionally throw in some dollars towards your purchase, regardless of if you use FHA, USDA or Conventional, so you might be able to get them to cover a good chunk or all of your closing costs.

Meaning, if I’m looking for all duplexes or all 4-plexes, will they be zoned that specifically?

I'm hoping to close on one or all of these properties by the end of 2020. 

I have seen these buyers overpay tome and time again.That said, you can sweeten your offer by doing some or all of the following:1.

That increases the chance that you'll be able to pull most or all of your cash out when you refinance.  

So I’m wondering if I should sell some or all of these, do a 1031 exchange and invest in a different area where the price and rent are more in line with the 1% rule.

According to the Pennsylvania Landlord Tenant Act of 1951, Section 250.201:Real property, including any personal property thereon, may be leased for a term of not more than three years by a landlord or his agent to a tenant or his agent, by oral or written contract or agreement.Source: https://casetext.com/statute/pennsylvania-statutes/statutes-unconsolidated/title-68-ps-real-and-personal-property/chapter-8-landlord-and-tenant/landlord-and-tenant-act-of-1951/article-ii-creation-of-leases-statute-of-frauds-mortgaging-of-leaseholds/section-250201-leases-for-not-more-than-three-yearsI’d consult with a local landlord-tenant attorney in your state and confirm, but it seems pretty clear cut. 

However, the concern is that doing so could, in some way, affect part or all of her homestead exemption status.

Some of you may think these problems are obvious and I am not posting this to get some sympathy, but rather to help others possibly avoid one or all of these mistakes.