After a few months of doing that, you'll become pretty good at evaluating value and seeing hidden gems. 

Multifamilies are a sure fire way to meet the 1% rule but there are some rare gems in pockets.

Wow; this place is a gem!

If someone is trying to assign you something that was on the MLS , then they are effectively useless imho but a good wholesaler can uncover a gem.

It is not uncommon by the way for investors to walk away. 5 years ago is the 2007 vintage when most markets were at the peak.The investor has a high interest investor loan and a high sales price.Probably was just breaking even hoping for the market to turn.Now that the tenant left a bunch of damage the investor is jumping ship and not pouring anymore money into a bad investment.At the owners age enjoying the last years of their quality of life is more important than an overvalued debt to a bank.

The bad news is there is a ton of things with the vintage that can get very expensive to fix and take away your cash flow for years.

Of so, how do you filter the gems from the junk?

All that said, yes I think throwing out a confident low ball offer is the only way to make this deal a gem.

And finally, the podcasts, a hidden gem for any newbie.

The US side had gone the quick cash industrial route many many years ago and now pays the price, the Canadians took the slow growth tourism way and are a real sparkling gem.