One idea I was thinking about is getting to know some local funeral homes and inquiring with them if the have customers that might have a relative that has passed and has a house that the family wants to get rid of.

The lender, not denying any of this, has verbally agreed to a discounted pay off if arranged quickly. 

I project manage now, which isn't necessarily easier or better, it's just more efficient with my time as I have other businesses that generate revenue, including new construction/custom remodels and a thriving real estate agency business.Contractors have always been the biggest challenge for me in the business. 

I am also a full time contractor working with my customer base in NYC and investors in NYC.

However, I am finding through my talks with some lenders that, since I am still relatively new out of school and have multiple student loans (although I have great credit), my saving grace in terms of getting a loan to fund my first deal is the salary my day job pays me.I know that real estate isn't a get rich quick scheme and that I will probably have to stick out my day job for a couple more years, but at what point do you see banks, lenders, etc. start to give you loans to fund deals without a steady stream from a corporate job? 

You can certainly find good PMs in Columbus - and I would and do recommend my guys all day - but their time is valuable: asking them to drive out there for maintenance, showings, etc will either be a rejected ask or come with a $$expense for their time and gas that quickly scuttles deal economics2.

@Victor Steffen quick question - above u mentioned $1000 CF per door but in the example, it feels like 1000$ CF over the three units... does the example # of $1000 over 3 units suffice for enough of a return?

It was great because it has seasoned me, in many ways, to make quick "Go/No-Go" decisions, to not get too attached to potential assets, and to understand what criteria investors typically look for.

Do you have funding available to close quickly?

Quick service, education, well designed website, access to account executives, etc. whatever you find important.