It won’t lower any of your monthly payments.

With cash, your holding costs are MUCH lower so a delay isn't as costly.

And even if you do, there is always a level of "gambling" involved when dealing with these properties.Disclaimer: While I’m an attorney licensed to practice in PA, I’m not your attorney.

So my options to lower my monthly payments are limited at best.

Lowering their temperature certainly leads to longer term tenancies. 

Looks like there are a lot of lower priced foreclosures in your area too. 

It could be that the demographics for the area is lower income families.

So, if you want to refinance in the future, it may not add anything to your valueDuplexes may appraise as less than a single family house and thus you might even lower your value.

Plus I like the tangibility of something physical..I'm interested in learning how to structure deals (optimal legal entities, tax implications, risk mitigation), financing options, and have some familiarity with this on a high level (albeit in a corporate and and global context).

If the seller says "well you wrote as is so I am not making repairs or lowering the price" you can legally respond with "ok, later"