I trust the company will underwrite the deals and your a lead generator.. lots can go wrong in this business if you have no experience which you indicate you don't.Good luck with it..Craig's list adds could help as well... marketplace on BP is a cheap way as well.

Know this though, if you are going to spend the time to get your license, keep up the credits and pay for MLS, the $ amount is not cheap (we're talking $500 to get your license between the course, exam, finger prints and anything else your state might require) plus every year or two you have pay license fees to the state (usually another $100-$200 per 24 month period) and MLS is not cheap ($500-$1000 per year pending your location).

I did my business plan the old-fashioned way because I was to cheap to pay for the whiz bang ones out their. 

In my area (Long Island, NY), this is definitely cheap for a duplex.  

Consider looking into concord near the BART station, it's pretty cheap now and will one day be worth a lot more.

The interest rate on my first mortgage was in the high teens, we survived and the property today is long paid off and worth more than double its original purchase price.The U.S.A. and Canada have experience cheap money over the past decade which has contributed to an increase in real estate prices:  So what if you pay an extra 40K to get that duplex, the interest rate is only 2.5% (up here anyway) ... it's only another $180/month.There are a lot of folks who have been buying property with the implied premise that the Prime rate would remain below 4% when the historical norm has been somewhat higher.  

Thing is, nobody wants them, so they're cheap.

I was hoping it's a mess because I'm trying to get cheap all I have to do is replace the tub, put up a door and paint.

Ive lived in DC and Boston, both very high cost of living areas, and both have properties that are very very cheap...as Im sure does the bay area.

There were plenty of deals to be had since there were tons coming on the market that were dirt cheap IMHO.