Obviously the contract is weighted heavily in the buyers (our) favor but I suppose if we cannot agree on where the line is placed, that would void the contract. 

Now that I'm in the BP pond, I'm back to being the small fish.I advertise extremely heavily.

Depend heavily on your own investigation and maybe, just maybe what inspectors you hire have to say.

I used to think Texas was a "no-brainer" because of not having State Income Tax, but upon further analysis, the fact that California's Proposition 13 allows property tax appreciation at  a maximum of 2% per annum with property taxes ranging in the 1% range, ends up weighing heavily in favor over Texas (even after paying California State Income Tax).I'm seeing break even after 4 years based on certain assumptions.

@Sean Dolan and @Danny Johnson are spot on that most people focus really heavily on the front end... getting the things setup on the front end to get leads (the website, direct mail, PPC, etc. etc.)... but they neglect to hone those skills on how to connect with a seller, build credibility, and close deals.

The duplex is in an area that has been heavily gentrified in the last few years.

This is a general guideline.Your responsibility is to heavily document the condition before occupancy and then determine if the wear-and-tear  is "ordinary" or not after they vacate.

It's not like you need to call 10,000 people.Fourth, big commercial properties are heavily marketed.

Polybutylene was used heavily in the 80s. 

It impacts setting the market rent, and ow many applications you may get turned in, but it is still heavily reliant on finding stable tenants and having a unit that people want to live in.