Should I just randomly pick a few cities in the midwest and work with a realtor, or are there some suggestions on specific cities and resources to help hone in?

Yes it is likely too good to be true and unlicensed in this case is basically paying a random person $5 for his or her opinion that is no better than yours, it will not hold any weight with anyone.  

I wouldn't take that kind of advice from random people on this forum.

Yup, that's spot on Phil.On our end once you put out there that you work with investors, wholesale portfolio lenders start blowing up your inbox with rate sheets that have things like this on it.And all sorts of other random little niches that each portfolio lender does, like LLCs and the rest.But none of it is at Fannie/Freddie rates/terms, nor is it under Fannie/Freddie guidelines.

Random aside, when you start getting into the commercial multifamily side of things it's not that uncommon to see overpriced listings sit around for a year.  

Right now we are sending them randomly to agents working in specific area and hope something will happen.

I found a couple gems of neighborhoods that surprised my agent, and we definitely looked at a lot of random properties.

In the end Realtors just want to get paid and this is easier/quicker by working with other Realtors versus random investors.

Anyway, I’m planning on holding onto it, so let’s move along.General expenses: Property inspection: $425Flights/bags/ground transit for 2 people: $600Service main water valve: $389Service 2 furnaces: $200Paint materials both units: $370Cost of hiring friend who came along and worked 3.5 days: $500Total random home depot materials including light fixtures, electrical gear, primer, brushes, locks, light bulbs, tools, drywall, tape, etc: $1,820.Total: $4,304Unit 1 - Down Paint labor bedrooms, bath, and kitchen: $0 (friend from out of town did it for free)Installing fixtures, switches, outlets, cabinet knobs, doorstops, blinds, towel racks, bathroom mirror, caulking, etc: $0 - did it myself.Estimated cost if contracted: $1,500Unit 2 - Up Labor to strip wallpaper, repair drywall, sand, prime, and paint full unit (contracted out): $1200Installing electrical outlets/switches/fixtures: $125New electric stove: $200Refinish bathtub: $300Pull carpet: $250Total: $2,075Estimated short-term costs (<1 year) New roof Spring 2018: $8000Gutter cleaning and repair: $300New Floor in kitchen (estimate): $500Total estimated costs: $8,800Year 1 non-recurring costs to make it rent ready: $91,979Estimated mid-term costs (1-5 years) 2 new furnaces: $55002 new hot water tanks: $2000Misc: $1,000Total: $8,500*After the tanks/furnaces get replaced the building should be rock solid for 10-15 years at least, assuming no major disasters.Monthly expense breakdown: 5-year private money balloon loan on $87k over 20 years: $574Property tax: $215Insurance: ~$100Water bill: ~$60Sewer bill: ~$40Garbage: $16Rental registration: $6Lawncare: $40CapEx: $100Vacancy: $75@ 5%*I’m self-managing, therefore I’m not yet factoring in property management.Monthly Totals:Projected rent: $1,500 ($750/unit, but will shoot for $775 initially)Expenses: $1,226Cash Flow: $274/monthCash on cash return: infinite (more or less)ROI based on $18,000 yearly at $91,979 initial cost: 19.5%NOI: $3,288About the loan:I don’t qualify for bank financing since I’ve moved countries and jobs so much in the last couple years.

I get random emails from them.