On the 2nd I hired all licensed trades but separately.

For any value add project, the primary evaluation is based on the numbers.Provided you have trustworthy teammates for the renovation side and a competent agent on the valuation side, you'll perform no matter the location.It seems your weighing factors that relate more towards long-term investing and where your asset will appreciate the most.In respect to emerging markets, you'll want to use characteristics like population growth, employment growth, safety trends and path of progress.

Although it is possible to do everything 100% remote, most people I know who are self managing do come on site for a few days or weeks to meet and sort of interview the team they are building.You will need trusted cleaners, handymen, and also good recs for trades i.e. roof, plumbing, HVAC, etc.If you need home setup in most markets there are designers who will handle the whole set up for you, and I would want to interview them as well.  

But most people also realize that money is usually tight and many people don't have $400 for an emergency let alone a bunch of extra money to put against their mortgage.

I do engagement marketing in a trades focused field lending me to having very good relationships with tradespeople whom I consider friends- and I trust thoroughly.

Trying to save $$ so I can prepare emergency funds in case of any major repairs etc .

And everything is a trade between time and money.  

Generally larger commercial properties and shopping centers are easier to classify with hard and fast rules, but to the points above the residential areas really move very quickly and have way more nuance than most people care to admit.zip codes are generally way too large for my liking at least in my market to provide any kind of insights other than macro level economics but even then highways or rivers that cut through a zip code can end up with totally different trade areas.we can get pretty granular with cellphone data and with grocery center data to understand the trade areas and their true boundaries, but that kind of data pull is generally only cost effective for investors doing larger scale projects or developments, and honestly we still just end up getting on the ground and feeling it out, so I generally tell people that the money is better spent on a plane ticket and weekend trip in the area you are looking rather than any kind of "trade area" level data studies.and generally B class in 1 area means something different than another. 

Learn the trade at your door step and max.

ANYTHING not pre-approved will not be reimbursed for (unless its an emergency and you cant be reached fast enough)....