A duplex gives you limited drama in terms of tenant management but a safety net in terms of liability.

They aren't anything to make you shy away from it, more protection for you actually, addressing the safety, security, and soundness of the property.

Tell the existing tenant that you will personally show the unit and guarantee the safety of their personal items.

But, if you buy properties with equity in them (that is, you search hard enough to find properties at a discount to market value when you are buying) then you should have a margin of safety to protect against a slight down turn.For what it's worth, I think you are taking all the right steps to mitigate your risks by asking the BP community before you buy.  

Regarding 1031 Exchange and syndications, if you are an accredited investor, you can buy into institutional grade $50-125M projects with as little as $100,000 and diversify for some added safety.

., by failing to indicate whether the individual was prosecuted, convicted, or acquitted),.... the fact of an arrest is not a reliable basis upon which to assess the potential risk to resident safety or property posed by a particular individual.

I'm looking for investor friendly contractor in two areas:- Palos/orland townships- bronzevilleMy main criteria for being "investor friendly" includes the following:- understands the importance of prioritizing an investor project and not stopping halfway through to work on other projects, leaving the investor racking up holding costs- always responds to calls and texts in a timely fashion.

At this point I don't see why I should go to the expense of making it accessible although it's not problem to enhance safety with grab bars, etc. 

In the event of an emergency related to the condition of the Property that materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant, Tenant may callNOTICE: If Landlord fails to repair a condition that materially affects the physical health or safety of an ordinary tenant as required by this lease or the Property Code, Tenant may be entitled to exercise remedies under §92.056 and §92.0561 of the Property Code.

@Italo Bonetta for your second question what I do for accounting is I have a separate bank account for each property that includes a balance equal to safety fund for that property, (I've seen a lot of people suggest an arbitrary $5,000-10,000 per roof depending on the size of the property and your portfolio) then subtract the monthly expenses from this account and anything left over your arbitrary number is your cash flow.