@Finian ButcherAsk for a signed receipt from seller that they received your offer.

One important item of a good answer would be knowing your goals  If the answer of yours is that these are on a short term investment I would tell you to sell both units if it is a hot area and is a sellers market there I would probably say to sell both of them as soon as possible if the seller's market continues and I might not spend your own or borrowed money before you sale.  

If not, does anyone have any suggestions on how to handle it with the seller?  

My current situation is that I have a seller who countered me and the price they are asking would make a meh deal.

Overall, assuming there is enough demand to meet these numbers and we can buy at these still very depressed prices, it seems like it would be a low floor and low maintenance investment, generate moderate returns for the next 5-10 years, and have very high potential ceiling in the event the area experiences a comeback which many special interests are already working towards.

Seller motivation, condition of property, comparable sales, etc.  

So I recently posted about trouble I was having when two of the room mates on the lease demanded to be let off, the other two wanting to stay and two more wanting to be added.

I am unfamiliar with the real estate market in that area and I have a few questions:What is the level of demand of Duplex or Triplex?

I came across this probate home which I think can have great potential, how do I go about finding the seller if the owner died ?

I think the only way to "make it work" in LA is getting a good deal, ie. spotting houses that have been on the market for a couple of months and then negotiating with the seller the purchase price.