Creative ways for looking for Multi-family Properties??

[Dylan Legg]

So I live in the Saint Louis area, and I am looking for a Multi-family home (Duplex or Triplex) to buy in the Western, Southwestern, or Southern Suburbs of Saint Louis.  I'm looking to "house-hack" with this first property, by living in one side and renting out the other.  

The problem is there are virtually none available. I look through Zillow on a daily basis, and my agent has a blanket area search set through her MLS that automatically sends me multi-family homes in that area once they come available. By using this strategy I'm getting about one result a week, and of these results, only 1/4 of these are contenders.

I'm thinking about starting Direct Mail to the owners of these properties in the area of interest. 

My question: Are there other methods I could use to help quicken this search for a good fit within the area I'm looking?