So my current thinking is get pre approved for a loan from multiple sources, then do my math and see if I can make the 20% payment on a home or not.

If you're ever sued, many courts will not allow you to pay yourself because it's too easy for a Landlord to pad the numbers as a source of income.

HOWEVER the Lucas County Court also is inquiring about the source of rental funding - Section 8 and in my suspicion all aid agencies (Lead Families Home, Red Cross, VA, Salvation Army, Lutheran/Catholic/etc Services) are ALL FEDERALLY FUNDED. 

Can you provide a source for that "acceptable use" ? 

@Kat HusseySyndicates, crowd funding, crowd sourcing, pooled investments, private funds, etc.

How do I know a good/bad deal, value-adds, flips, BRRRR, maybe even syndicate tips, only online sources available.

These are far from the only good sources of information but they are solid starting points.

Since I entered the buying market in January for my first deal, I found that the MLS may not be the greatest source of finding deals.

I have never attended a meeting as I live overseas currently but the meeting recordings and podcast have been a good source of info for me on the Northern Colorado markethttps://www.meetup.com/Northern-Colorado-Real-Estate-Investor-Group/Other events in your area can be found here: https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/521-events-and-happenings?

Better to find other sources of capital for your real estate ventures.