This would give me an edge in investing in townhomes/condos, but I'm having difficulty finding condo investing resources. 

I don't know if you'd find those people on Airbnb or VRBO from my experience - depends on area.

You can find discount brokerages but you get what you pay for. 

If you can't figure out how to escape that entry-level job and get into something that pays better, then I would argue you probably don't have the skills necessary to invest in real estate and manage it well.Focus on finding a job you can be proud of and that pays well.

You didn't tell us where you are located so it is hard to tell if you should try and find another place or not.If the folks are just willing to rent, then finding them a nice rental seems to be in order.

Other than that, you will need to network with a lot of people to find seller finance deals.

How did you find this deal and how did you negotiate it?

The best course of action is talking to so many sellers through your marketing that you find the ones that are truly motivated at the price you are willing to buy their property at..

Hence you’re finding “almost retail prices.”  

It's been 2.5 years since I purchased my first property and now that everything in my personal life has slowed down I'm back on the horse and ready to find my next investment.