I have been told by the Sec 8 rep in my area that once a section 8 propertiy is purchased the new owner does not have to apply for section certification, thereby making it impossible for that new owner to accept section 8 funds.

Phi Tran is also giving you good advise about getting site visits (aka inspections) but no one will even let you apply for permits, much less grant them, until AFTER you purchase. 

Apply for a credit card at your local Home Depot or Lowes.

You gave us false or incorrect information when you applied for the loan; or* You are more than fourteen days overdue with any amount you owe us..* If you fall behind with your repayments we may pass information about the amount you owe to a credit reference agency.

I'm using Zillow as the way to apply so I'm not totally sure where those leads are coming coming from becasue they all funnel through Zillow. 

The coach usually blames the participant, saying they didn't apply what they learned.

They did get ahead over time, so I just kept track of where the payments were being applied.

I really don't think that applies anymore as the number one advantage of Real Estate is the leverage (it's easy to get money for it).However, You need cash reserves to make sure you stay in business and can keep building (both skills and wealth).To answer the question of BRRR vs Flip - It's all about "do I have enough cash reserves to make sure I'm going to stay in business?"

Does anyone know if this applies if the applicant is volunteering a two-month deposit in lieu of a high credit score?

I think at the end of the day with he amount of effort you need put in to wholesale you likely could apply the same effort and receive better return elsewhere (opinion).