I think you are in the right mind set however with the out of state investing - its much easier in this day and age and NY is not a great place to get started in this type of investing

Fuel for the day: A little English Breakfast aged tea, full fat cream, and, my favorite, raw unadulterated organic honey.

I love helping people and truly do enjoy my job, but I am already at a young age topped out for compensation and in this field with insurance reimbursement structure the way it is, I am likely to not move up much at all in the future unfortunately.I have always loved personal finance and after accruing ungodly amounts of student loans and navigating paying them off all while efficiently investing in the stock market as well as now real estate I have not only realized how strong my interests are in this area but also my personal skills align in financial planning and personal finance.

If you're not a W-2 employee or have additional income you can try an alternative income verification such as bank statement deposit averages or asset depletion (if you have significant reserves or assets.) 

Age of construction may not be a huge issue if it has good bones and can benefit from a fairly cost efficient "In & Out" remodel.What is stopping you down payment?

Some also factor for the age of drivers, driving record, prior losses, etc. 

The main issue with many Philly homes is the age these properties were builtThis give you 2 main concerns:1.

As the population ages I think these investments will become more profitable.

Back in the Middle Ages, when I was a commercial broker, there was a guy named Minh Ho who made three or four offers on properties per WEEK.  

Also, what is the age of each building and the major systems?