I have been in the construction business since i was 17.  

I have a good handle on construction, I have folks that I can get material and labor, etc.  

Hi guys,I'm looking start flipping houses & buying & holding rental properties in North Orange County (Santa Ana, Anaheim, Tustin mainly) & Riverside County.I have 15 years of construction estimating & project management experience which helps with the rehab side & recently became a licensed Realtor.  

I am looking for help to find a cheap commercial property or construct a financing deal with a property owner.

Im a hands on person and have a background in construction which I'm sure will be helpful.

Then, I've partnered with a good friend Robert who will be doing all the flipping (project management/some construction) while I bring deals/cash.

HELOC are good, using the equity in the house to fix it, you can also try a construction loan, it can be set for certain amount of years, you pay interest only on the money that is drawn for the work for a certain amount of time, then it converts to a mortgage after that time frame.

Regardless of what I got I felt more comfortable in construction.  

Speaking to your specific situation, I imagine the duplex has an old telephone box somewhere on site (unless it's very new construction).

Regardless of what I got I felt more comfortable in the construction business.