@Andrew Warshawer , Do a search on the site, there have been other posts discussing both providers.

However, I am looking at doing this "part" time for the immediate future and am wondering if there are some advantages to wholesaling that I may not be thinking of - especially as it relates to building a wholesaling business on the side.

@Carl M. there are many programs on multi family, keep searching.

I recommend searching for it. 

I would love to hear more about what you are looking for so that we can tailor our search.

5) The analysis is based on Zillow recently sold searches for 2/1 and evaluation of county auditor sales in past 5 years of 2/1's in the neighborhood.

I have relatives who are living in Dallas, Texas so I start looking in that area.  

If you want to be more pro-active - drive your vehicle to that vacancy -Talk to as many neighbors as you can - let them know that you are interested in that property (or others that they may be able to refer you to) some neighbors won't cooperate with you since they may think you are a bill collector.Get the tax ID of the ownershipGo to white pages - search for the ownersPut a notice on the door for the owner to call youCheck to see if it has housing code violationsLiens - see if you can buy the lien and foreclose (or take an option to buy the lien - forecloses on your option)Check to see if it is in Tax Sale - contract the tax sale purchaser to see if you can take assignment of their positionCheck to see if it is in foreclosureMake sure you look at the back of the houses - talk to the neighbor at the rear of the housesFind out if it has been listed - by whom and for how long - call the real estate agent (they are the ones who know how to contract the owner) ask the agent "are you still accepting offers on that property?"

i think that appreciation is probably a bit too rich, its more likely to be flat in the next 3 yrs... i think houston has overshot its value relative to other metros, you can probably google articles about it being overpriced relative to other major metros.  

I keep a pretty close eye on rentals that come on the market close to mine and base my decision more on where I am relative to other properties than a general % increase.