You won't take the credit hit unless you actually apply for a loan.You may want to talk to the commercial lending desk and not residential (think one loan for 8 units, vs. 8 individual loans which would probably be too small for them to want to do).

Listsource has a sister product called Real Quest, same company, that is better for looking up individual properties.

Corporate and Individual Tax unfriendly state (Aetna, ge, Otis elevator to name a few left this year.

It's all individual choice and comfort level.

I work with non profits that provide community based living services for individuals with special needs. 

If off market I search local county tax record for owner and send one of three letters; individual, LLC, or REO.

Each market is different though as are individual goals.

This of course raised the concern that they probably offer their better deals to institutional investors and the more riskier ones to individuals.  

I am a very driven individual having gone to a collegiate high school where I earned my Associates degree by age 18.

That seems high to me, but I haven't done a lot of research into what individual units go for in that immediate area.