Rentals might be more feasible given your circumstances, as they require less time-intensive work upfront.As for capital, consider starting small.

I have a method that I'm formulating, but it is very data intensive (requiring web-scraping and statistical models), but a "good enough" solution could save me a lot of time.

But for someone who is starting out to buy their first property with only money to let's say cover a down payment of 20% for the property, how does the math work out to cover the cost of the property from rental income? 

@Drew BittleHow did things work out?

If the numbers work out, you could be looking at a sweet return on your investment!

After all the work my team and I did for you Dave, from accommodating some of the things going on in your life and allowing you to put the program on hold while you overcame those matters to starting you up again and doing so in a very labor intensive way of hand picking off-market leads for you to give you the best possible chance at success.

It is just more labor intensive in general.

I left utilities on and visit the home and work out of it 2-3 times per week. 

I know that this is a personal flaw and that I should go for it if it makes sense to me after doing my own research, however, I can't help but think that it may not work out the way I believe it could based on all of the negative sentiment I have received from family and friends.

I recommend working hard to find a way to turn that one into a rental.Sit down and work out the numbers with your wife, talk through what things will look like 5-10 years out as the house appreciates, rent increases and your job pays more.