A good site I use for research is municode.com to find out all the local regulations we might encounter and if there are specific building standards for Parks. 

If you are ready to jump and can only afford a C/D area, then your best bet is to find a solid property manager that works the neighborhood and can take the burden off you.

@Michael Coiffman  Personally if you think your credit will be in the mid 600's in only 6 months I would wait on buying and see if you have more financing options.If you're looking to buy right now then an owner finance deal would probably be your best bet. 

  I recently met a guy on a job site that during a brief conversation about real estate, had explained that he was interested in selling the duplex he lived in. 

This site and community has changed my life!

Best bet: Avoid this situation completely.

I bet replace it. 

The calculators on the site are great for asking you the questions about things you may not be thinking about yet.

I grew up working on job sites, so am handy myself. 

. - find other equity investors to partner up with you- in a pinch, you may be able to get (expensive) personal loans and LOCs through sites like lendingclub, sofi etc..