Her neighborhood is in a pretty major decline.

The vast majority were at the high end of the market and probably well overpriced to begin with.- Some of the properties I looked at were already sold at auction.- Their website is unprofessional.

I've been doing the same thing.I found this to be very helpful showing the cap rates for different investment classes, markets, and major cities.http://www.cbre.us/o/fortlauderdale/AssetLibrary/CapRate_H22014_Master%5B1%5D.pdfI also look at these 2 sites...http://www.areavibes.com/kansas+city-mo/neighborho...http://www.bestplaces.net/city/missouri/kansas_cit...

Locating the presidential center in either Washington Park or Woodlawn would drive major investment on the South Side, creating new businesses and resources for residents and visitors.

Has anyone used any specific tactics, scripts etc to get a seller to accept an offer of more than $100K under their asking price?

They could be as simple as just requiring surface injection by epoxy or could be major. 

In my market, the majority of homes I will be looking to purchase and flip will be mid sized homes, under $250,000.  

I had always been an entrepreneur and as soon as I read Rich Dad Poor Dad I vowed to learn every aspect of real estate I could.Since then I've taken major action not all to my prevail but I have been making headway in RE investing.

nothing major.

However, with my units that rent for $1300, the $300 hit wouldn't be a major concern.