I notice a big difference in quality of agents in different markets and especially different price points... most of the agents I work with are actually great, but not all are. 

But every other month we are at about $2000-3000 surplus.If we stay or buy a second home and rent 1st, the difference is about $1000 in our pockets.I don't want to make an untimely decision on buying home by missing some kind of interest rate change, based on short term financial struggles when 10's of 1000's of $$$'s could be made.

Is it a good idea to buy a duplex as a first investment or different real estate properties ?

Separately, It is possible to find deals still, but you need to look at it from a different perspective.

I was hoping to get some help and insight on different neighborhoods in Akron.

I know a few in different areas of the state.

.- every investor reaches a point where their DTI is trashed and they have to move into different loan products. there are tons of lenders out there that specifically work with REIs & have many ways to navigate this. don't let DTI concerns keep you from moving forward. - LLCs provide minimal legal protection in case of an incident. work with an asset protection attorney to come up with a better plan if they are that concerned. also have great insurance and an umbrella policy. 

I am always open to different strategies in terms of finding my deals.

If you are speaking about building a property yourself, then that's different.  

Should I do something different?