I feel comfortable reading a title report, pulling vesting deeds from a county recorder's website, or navigating special assessment districts.  

I'm a little apprehensive to buy outside of areas I'm comfortable with because of that fear...

I've heard that 4-plexes are the "money makers" but with our current budget, duplexes seem more affordable - I am a bit conservative and don't feel comfortable putting "too many eggs in one basket".

Make sure you are comfortable with the areas and have some boots on the ground who you trust that can look out for your investments from time to time.

Might as well be comfortable with the simple and old things...for now!!

The other posters have hit it on the head about figuring out your risk tolerance and the comfort in having free and clear properties over leveraging everything to jump into a riskier endeavor.

I feel very comfortable with the screening tenant process and I understand the importance of the face to face interaction.....  

Maybe if you invest at a comfortable pace you could have enough time for family, but set yourself up for independence 10, 15, or 20 years from now.

I'd just talk to her openly and figure out why she is willing to take a discount and if there is any other structure you can offer that would make both parties comfortable to walk forward.

Even earlier in this thread I said that the OP can fill out the application themselves and if they don't feel comfortable then take it to a lawyer to check it out.