There are several basic rules for a 1031 for identifying properties, timelines, and uses. 

. 😉  Lack of investment capital (money) ought never be the obstacle because if the deal is right, the money will always appear.Then, you’ll need great data sources both for identifying opportunities and confirming the facts.

One critical aspect we focus on is identifying and preventing fraud.

However, I would encourage you to Network work local real estate clubs in the PA/NJ area to help identify your target market and ideal investment for your first property.

I think what you're really asking is how to identify good value areas where rents may be trending upward but the prices still remain relatively lower.An important metric is tenant household income to rent ratio.

On some streets we're the only rentals, and you would be hard pressed to identify the rentals. 

I've identified a piece of land that is off market and able to be purchased, roughly 40 acres.

You can also find real estate investing groups through meetup.com, Facebook, or a Google search.

For cash-on-cash evaluation of rental properties, it is critical to identify ALL of  your acquisition costs. 

I would closely monitor your competitions pricing to see what is working for them.Vrbo has built in tools to monitor when people are searching for specific dates.