I’m thinks just pay him his regular price for the job and throw him 5-10% finders/gc fee instead of making a 70/30 split or something like that.

Maybe the 2017 tax and jobs act gets extended, but either way, if tax savings is the primary motivation, don't do it. 

I'm not opposed to spending the money and have a demo scheduled with them this week, but was curious if anybody else has other data providers that they like better for more niche areas of distress such as bankruptcy, probate, divorce, code violations etc. that I can stack with my current data.I have submitted right-to-know requests with the local counties but only certain information is available and can be cumbersome.

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

Also, focus on 2 years of job/income stability.Class D Properties:Cashflow vs Appreciation: Typically, all cashflow with little, maybe even negative, relative rent & value appreciationVacancy Est: 20%+ should be used to cover nonpayment, evictions & damages.Tenant Pool: majority will have FICO scores under 560 (almost 30% probability of default), little to no good tradelines, lots of collections & chargeoffs, recent evictions.

I know a great agent in the area who helped my friend buy in Ogden and did a great job negotiating.

You don't say what you do but consider finding a career path job that might give you better income if that is an issue. 

On the flip side, if you've got a bunch of Section 8 tenants living in a building that's in a neighborhood where a lot of the tenant base has good jobs, high credit scores, and are generally reliable people, you've got the most risky tenants in that tenant base and that ain't what ya want.

Don’t start a new job .

Traditional loans are debt—you borrow money, take on a repayment schedule, and owe interest, regardless of how the property performs.