Hi Noy, Pittsburgh is a strong market for investors.

Let's say I have a solo k and a homeowner wants to seller finance a SFH.

Varies by market and person.

Unless the property needs work and the seller is desperate, you're not going to find a seller willing to do any sort of seller financing on their end. 

First of all it's very rare a seller gets a buyer's EMD deposit for buyer's financing falling thru.

In my home market of Florida, our insurance rates have made it much harder to have positive cash flow on a CRE deal.

Contact potential sellers who are not actively seeking to sell their real estate holdings.  

Hey All, I’ve found an off market duplex in need of some repair (estimate unknown as I haven’t been inside yet).

There's a reason that people try to buy properties off-market and that is because you can find sellers who care more about terms than maximizing returns.So start with a conversation: you already presumably have some rapport since it's your landlord and you've spoken before.

Find someone who's doing what it is you want to do in the market you want to do it in and bring them value to learn.