I did take the 7 day free trial of Pro, and I feel confident that I can grow enough here to feel confident as I take my first steps in my REI journey.I spent several years in the early nineties as a real estate agent, and did well enough to be recruited by Re/Max for the last 18 months of my career. 

I am a local agent and investor as well as a native to San Antonio.

You may have to pay a couple hundred $$, but it's well worth it..Bear in mind that an hour walk-though may or may not uncover everything that will be on the final Scope Of Work....so add 20% to the number that you get from the GC.You will need to do this quite a few times before you will be able to do it yourself, someone said you can after just one time, but that would be wrong.

I don’t know about the Louisville market, but if you have to pay a bit more for the property than a traditional single family, it should be outweighed by the fact you will have a tenant paying hopefully well over half of the mortgage. 

Are they worth the risk, or is it better to avoid as a new investor?

Exchanger and not Qualified Intermediary shall bear any risk of loss while funds are being wired or transmitted to or from the Exchange Account.

We have been looking a duplexes and the numbers just don't seem to come together well.  

Other people want lots of doors which works for them. it all depends on your goals, financial situation, timeline, and risk tolerance.

Is it because you plan on using the cabin for personal use as well as an investment, or are you planning on fixing maintenance/repair issues yourselves, or something else all together?

It works out pretty well, they come just as the seasons are changing that way we know if we have any issues before the tenants need to use the AC or heat.