The problem you may encounter is this will eat into your profits given the small scale.I know what mean about the challenge of going after a "turnaround project" that is remote...  

Just because a seminar is named after or endorsed by a celebrity does not mean the methods being touted are the ones used by said celebrity. 

I couldn't agree more that providing better rental and flip houses means better renters and buyers.

That means both of your deals are using the same leverage, the real difference is time and skills.

This means you want someone you can sue in case they do damages or don't pay their rent.  

@Charlie Vollers , sorry, I didn't mean to put all the emphasis on scrape & build new duplexes, to be sold as "half-duplexes".A landlord that owns the full duplex (might be 50 or 100 yrs old) could divide the deeds and sell off the halves.

Im 24 with a BA in FinanceI actually have not gotten a job in my field but went into soccer coaching for which is something I'm passionate about, I would just rather do that as a hobby rather than a means to build wealth and depend on it for a living. 

I mean at that point I'd really feel comfortable to retire.

What this exercise might find is:- Contractors willing to communicate and go through formalities of estimating- How hungry the contractor is for work- Which contractors answer your exercise most professionally - Which contractors go above & beyond with thier answers and their own past example work/portfolio- Which contractors accurately estimate material and/or laborOf course if they don't or won't reply, it could also mean they are too good and busy to jump through your hoops -- so they could be great contractors as well. 

@Troy Luster I think he means he is setting aside 7% of gross rents every year, so that they'll build up over time for when big ticket items need replacing.Most investors set aside between 5-10% for ongoing repairs and maintenance, and another 5-10% for capex.