You can try to get them to pay some or all of the expenses, but it could be an uphill battle. 

This is also gonna depend on how strong the buyer is financially if its even possible for them to pay the difference.If you get multiple offers on a sale in the future and the price goes over asking, make sure the offer includes some type of language waiving a portion or all of the appraisal gap.If you tried to fight the appraisal already and didn't get anywhere, you don't really have much recourse.

One idea I have is to "shadow" a real estate investor (although I am not entirely sure how to go about asking for / finding this kind of opportunity), but I am wondering if anyone has insight into other ways to gain a comparable level of experience.If anyone has insight into any or all of these topics, I would greatly appreciate the feedback.

But they are getting the advice from people who are either (1) not qualified or experienced enough to rely on their advice (2) biased to some degree, perhaps unintentionally, by their background, business interests, training, etc, or (3) providing advice in a general sense without a thorough understanding of the questioners personal situation or ALL the relevant facts. 

These are some good properties to get, but there are many that sell at market value now in a lot of markets because the banks got smart and knew they needed to do some repairs to sell them at the market price to get most or all of their money back! 

Creative FinancingFinancing can be a challenge in tough economies, but several creative strategies can make deals work: Seller Financing: Negotiate with the seller to finance part or all of the deal, reducing the need for traditional loans.

They are those 18"X24" all yellow or all white signs usually that you see all over town saying "WE BUY HOUSES."

So if that's all you can afford or all the risk you want to tolerate, just start with that. 

Buying a random property in OH or AL or KS solely on the basis that it has a lower purchase price than a property in CA just isn't going to get you very far. 

This allows you to spread out down payments and use less cash upfront by having the seller finance part or all of the down payment.3.