I think you can through BP or through the aforementioned REI meet ups more than likely.i am inclined to agree with a previous poster in that i'm not sure driving for dollars will necessarily yield you what you are looking for.Network with as many other MF investors as possible in your area and find an agent that knows the market and can at the very least set you up on an MLS search for your criteria.Coupled with BP's deal analysis calculator you can then begin underwriting properties you receive from the MLS with your agent or on your own to better understand your market and tailor your expectations moving forward.I'm an investor focused agent that focuses on MF and while we are not in the same market if you have any questions about moving forward with MF LTRs i'd love to see how i could help.

.-- Or, what we do is offer the free rent AFTER & ONLY if they pay their first 3 months of rent on time to earn it.4) Lower the rent 5% every 2-4 weeks until activity picks up.5) Understand this is the worst time of year to find tenants.-- Starts picking back up end of February when this tenant pool starts getting their income tax refunds and aren't broke anymore.6) Section 8: where is the property being advertised?

Also any tips for automating this as much as possible and how to protect the property financially and property management would be appreciated.I ALMOST understand the rental arbitrage strategy if building a company scaling with say 30 + units and looking for high short term cash flow.  

i understand a true duplex might be a lot more expensive, but i think it's at least worth continuing to research and keeping an eye on.and sticking to my original point, OOS can be tough. 

BP has done such a great job of promoting SFR investing to the masses, that those masses have pushed up real estate prices to where it's now DIFFICULT to cashflow right away.Keep going, but understand you won't get rich in real estate overnight - it's a long-term wealth building strategy.For the short-term, recommend joining a few in-person investor meetings if possible, otherwise online ones.

I would advise you to get pre approved from your lender and make them aware as it will help them understand you are serious!

while I totally understand the frustration especially purchasing what was supposed to be a new and ready to go asset, but these things are pretty common so don't feel to discouraged. 

Oh, I share your frustration, but have come to understand that this is how things work 95% of the time.

I was just hoping to transition it into LTR and since we have newer furniture that fits the space well, it just seemed a shame to sell it all to do an unfurnished LTR, but again, I'm having a hard time understanding how logistically some of the details are worked out with that with furniture involved in an LTR.Thank you again for the support!

I think real estate due to the amount of money you can make and how quickly you can make it attracts people who may not understand the idea of sustainability and being consistent in what you do.