Incredibly poor business deal. 

Quote from @Edward Barrett: New investor here trying to stay in my local market (Dayton, OH).Since I've started looking for my first deal I've come across a few section 8 properties that seem to pencil, but I'm a bit loath to jump into that kind of deal.

I just bought a SF rental from a wholesaler in Detroit (just north of Bagley and south of Ferndale) and have another on market deal under contract in the Morningside area.

Hi Angela,Your tech background can help you evaluate the deals but I fear that you don't have a comprehensive plan of what you want to do with investment real estate.  

Key is to go through someone who has a direct relationship, what kills many of these deals are brokers who go to a correspondent who are a wholesaler for an isntitution.

I estimate I lost probably 15k in the deal and taxes this year will tell for sure.

They have a section on their website with multifamily deals for sale. https://www.greaterclevelandreia.com/PropertyList.aspx?

I'd bet most homebuyers have no idea they can flip too...And they certainly aren't privy to the off-market deals that someone like myself is privy to. 

As to effort, most of his students find those deals on MLS.

From that deal we bought our next and first fix and flip property the following year.