Should I use something like propstream to find all acreage that fits my size parameters then just start doing drive-bys to see if it looks like it would work?

Any particular part of the city you want to live in....giant place.What drives the purchase?   

For a fee that high it seems they should drive to the payor's home to pick up the check each month.They're part of Fidelity National Financial, who owns Chicago Title, Ticor Title, and many others... https://fnf.com/Companies

Driving through your rental property, if you see a remodel going on stop and talk to the workers, head cheese or contractor is probably not there.    

We can see the outside with a drive by of course, but we are more concerned with the interior and what we may be getting into. 

I can continually save up enough for another down payment through my W-2 income, but the time elapsed kind of drives me nuts. 

So short of a pandemic wiping out a chunk of our local population or something else of that magnitude, there is not really much that can change these circumstances driving supply and demand.And without changing the circumstances, the results will be the same.

Choosing to become a local real estate developer means you're not just watching change happen – you're right there in the driver's seat, actively shaping your community's destiny and driving its growth.

The city is rowing so fast it's driving prices up.

Figure out what is a meaningful return to you.