so i found a duplex but its in a bad neighborhood. from the looks of it i wouldn't have to do any work with them which is a plus. should i let the bad neighborhood stop me from making an offer? 

It's not a bad deal, I don't think I would do it.

You make your money when you buy, etc.If I were to buy a 3 br 2 bth single family in a desirable neighborhood, no repairs needed, traditional financing with a 30yr fixed rate mortgage, would i be making a bad investment if I purchased the property through a realtor?

You make your money when you buy, etc.If I were to buy a 3 br 2 bth single family in a desirable neighborhood, no repairs needed, traditional financing with a 30yr fixed rate mortgage, would i be making a bad investment if I purchased the property through a realtor?

Bad roofs, sketchy floor joists, it doesn't matter if the price is right.

They have just heard its bad or heard horror stories. 

You have to worry about things like guests trashing your space, noise to your neighbors that you can't control, getting bad reviews, etc.

Not a bad idea at all in my opinion.

There are good and bad but you'll mostly hear about the bad.The truth is, if you want good tenants you need to educate yourself on what makes a good tenant and then screen applications until you find one.If you want a good property manager, you need to educate yourself on what makes a good one and then screen them until you find one.Far too many Landlords hire the manager with the lowest fees or the nice office or the pretty face or the fancy car or the...you get the point.

7% isn't bad, but it isn't great either.