I’m looking for a local mentor that I can learn from and provide value to so any suggestions on how to find one and pitch myself would be great as well!

Contact the utility provider and get a historical average based on the last year of use.

Where to get the most recent and accurate data for things like:Unemployment dataPopulation growthJob diversity and top employers in the areaVacancy rates (eg huduser.org)Property taxes and jnsurance costsI saw bp pro and reventure and a bunch of other websites provide some of this data, but i wonder how accurate and recent it is.

Many of the estate properties are located on lakes or rivers providing unique recreational activities.

But let’s go a later deeper - my down payment would come out of a well performing stock portfolio.

Real estate has always been in the back of my mind as a way to increase our wealth and provide for our family.

I also thought of paying a neighbor kid but that sounds like a stressful situation to rely on neighbors I don't really know well.  

@Mian Dingle how well have you thought this through?

Know the market well.

For many years I was contacted by the housing office to provide input of my rents, both Section 8 and market rented units and participated in their annual surveys.