I know people at the H/As locally and I think the decision here is they get fixed amount from OHCS (and local funds) and think more vouchers at lower rates is better than fewer vouchers for more. 

Just make a decision and move on.

However Id like to know what are some data points and minimum criteria you look at in a market (like a 1% job growth YoY) to feel informed on your decision making processalso if you go to the area what are some things you look for physically that would be a good sign 

When scouting an area, you 100% need REAL data to inform your decisions.

Short answer is as little as possible.The long answer is it depends on the deal.Typically you end up in a subject 2 situation when the current owner has little or no equity in the property, the current advantage of subject 2 properties is that most mortgages are below current market rates.Keep in mind when acquiring a property subject 2, in most instances you are not notifying the current lender of the change in ownership, and most if not all mortgages have a due on sale clause, which is the lender's decision if they want to enforce it or not.I personally like the idea its a great way to get investment properties with low rate loans, that with most likely appreciate in the coming years.

I have no decision power but hope you hear your stories!

Best decision I made. 

In a tough market, it's easy to get distracted by all the shiny opportunities that come up.For example, to really focus on growing our real estate agent business, we made the difficult decision to stop buying investment properties this year.

Now people are justifying poor decisions on how important equity is, even though they are losing money. 

Curious to hear what drives your decisions!