After my lender (NFCU) blew past my original closing date of July 29th due to not scheduling the VA appraisal in an appropriate amount of time, I thought that we were going to be able to recover and still be able to close on our primary residence and conduct a door to door delivery of our house hold goods. 

My credit is not good, and at the current time, I am struggling to make ends meet in my own household. 

An income of at least $200,000 for the past two years (or a household income of $300,000 if married), with an expectation that the income will continue.As Bryan mentioned, platforms operating under 506(b) may allow you to "self-certify," but most sites will require some form of verification.  

I'm also considering finding a single family household that I could easily convert into a duplex.

He is finding it difficult to maintain both households, so has chosen to place his wife's home on the market for sale, and move back into his home.

Lets look at one of my target zip codes in N Aurora.  90% of households make less than 75k per year (3800/mo after taxes) with 45% making less than 30k per year (2200/mo after taxes) . 

The population has and continues to slightly decrease)Nearest majore metropolitan area (1 million +) is 47 miles away.Median household income is $34,288 (it was $33,124 in year 2000)Estimated median house or condo value in 2012 was $78,505Median gross rent in 2012 was $664Unemployment rate: 5.9%Median age is 37.3Under 5 years - 2,431 - 6.6%5 to 9 years - 2,225 - 6.0%10 to 14 years - 2,129 - 5.8%15 to 19 years - 2,308 - 6.3%20 to 24 years - 2,739 - 7.4%25 to 29 years - 2,812 - 7.6%30 to 34 years - 2,687 - 7.3%35 to 39 years - 2,486 - 6.7%40 to 44 years - 2,614 - 7.1%45 to 49 years - 2,830 - 7.7%50 to 54 years - 2,706 - 7.3%55 to 59 years - 2,309 - 6.3%60 to 64 years - 1,936 - 5.3%65 to 69 years - 1,301 - 3.5%70 to 74 years - 1,006 - 2.7%75 to 79 years - 848 - 2.3%80 to 84 years - 771 - 2.1%85 years and over - 699 - 1.9%Single-family new house construction building permits:2009: 3 buildings, average cost $133,2002010: 5 buildings, average cost $229,2002011: 22 buildings, average cost $107,3002012: 2 buildings, average cost $60,000Housing Occupancy:Total housing units 15,066Occupied housing units 12,868 - 85.4%Vacant housing units 2,198 - 14.6For rent - 816 - 5.4Rented, not occupied - 31 - 0.2For sale only - 263 - 1.7Sold, not occupied - 48 - 0.3Homeowner vacancy rate 3.4%Rental vacancy rate 12.9Properties:Property A - 2/1 - 640 square feet - $25,000Property B - 2/1 - 1040 sq ft - $22,000Property C - 2/1 - 1070 sq ft - $20,000Property D - 3/1.5 - 1248 sq ft - $22,000Properties all well maintaned and rented, or rent ready.

In general, is this area gaining or losing population, increasing or decreasing average household income, crime rate, etc.?

Ok, so using the median US household income of $52,000/year, let's say that I want to get started investing in LA, NYC, or SF.

I live in GA and where I live median household is around 80k.