Most off market purchases cannot easily be comped with mls properties that comparatively have no risk and are in much better condition).so …Pay for a fixed fee mls listing with the property already under contract.  

I also just generally compared to the 1% rule. 

You should think about what you would offer with regards to your competition and compare rents.

Quote from @Emory Clayton: I'm confused as to how to screen Sec 8 tenants compared to regular 'market rate' tenants.

MTR is less hands-on compared to STR so that would help with the guest follow up situation. 

Compare accidental deaths to accidental deaths

Since they can't do each property individually, they use comparable sales to make broad generalizations to determine percent changes.

Quote from @Bryant Brislin: Land in the path of development that may seem a little far out, but your gut/intution and common sense from an urban planning perspective tells you that some day, whether it's in 10 years, 20 years, etc it will be a great long-term position for your family to have and hopefully sell at a signifcant multiple return compared to what you've paid for it.

Where do I find the stats/analytics to compare if it would be more profitable to buy storage units/qualdruplex/residential, for example.

@Timothy Blackman- thanks  ...get some referrals for lenders from friends / co workers ...contact them all on the same day with the same criteria and ask them any questions you have and  ask for some scenarios ...compare the  feedback and service they provide ...pick one lender to get pre approved with ,,once you have a property - contact all lenders again for pricing options for the actual loan you will need ...hopefully the lender you chose for pre approval will be competitive in their pricing ..good luck