Direct mail absolutely works, but it isn't cheap so if you're on a tight budget, I would suggest something different. 

Without pilfering through the numbers you displayed in great detail I can say this:Find out what the Property After Repair Value is (be conservative, tight comps)The exit strategy for yourself or anyone who you could wholesale this to depends on how the Property is Performing, or how it could perform. 

Those are good areas to buy in, but 150K is a tight budget. 

The government increased the money supply by $7 trillion (that's not a typo); so, they have a long way to go to vacuum up that mess and will stay tight as long as they can.

We like using the TrafficMaster (Home Depot carries this)..still using the grip strip type as opposed to the "click" variety. 

- How tight do you define terms of any future lease (rent/psf, duration, options, tenant improvement etc) ?

An alternative we've considered is purchasing a duplex to start out, specifically one that doesn't need considerable renovations; it would, of course, cost more initially.So, without being in a rush, but certainly wanting to start moving forward both with owning our own residence and with investing, how tight should we keep the numbers when considering such a duplex?  

Concrete, no stamp pattern, and textured paint for grip.

You can try allowing animals or accepting partial security deposit if upfront cash is tight. 

Now I would sit tight and see what happens.