Struggling to Find First Deal in my Market

[Adam Michel]

As the title suggests, I've been on the market for my first property for the past month and a half, and have been searching for SF and Duplex properties in my area of interest of Northeast OH (Canton, Massillon, North Canton, Canal Fulton, Green, Uniontown). Goal in mind is to establish my (and soon to be wife's) primary residence/house hack whilst rebuilding reserves for future investment. Issue is, almost every single property I underwrite seems to have pretty mediocre projected returns: ~0-4% COC, 8-15% IRR over 10 yrs, at best. I know it is still down season, so listings are thin (especially for MF which is our preferred route), but it is starting to discourage me; like we've already missed the train of cheap debt and rapid appreciation/inflation that so many others took advantage of in recent years.

Are my expectations set too high for my target area? Am I being impatient? Am I doing something wrong in my underwriting methodology? 

Would love to hear from others in similar situations or with more experience. Open to sharing further details regarding strategy/search criteria, or hearing suggestions!