To my understanding - a lender will only pre-approve on specific properties that will match up with their underwriter's guidelines.

That will show the deposits of rent, see if it matches up. 

The most valuable takeaway for others though are probably the data sources that I found while putting this together :American Fact Finder - This was a great resource, you mix & match different demographic, economic and geographic data tablesCity Data - Pretty well known, contains a variety of information on different cities, used for crime statisticsHUD Fair Market RentsUnemployment StatisticsCensus Bureau Quick FactsAdditional Census Bureau ResourcesIt took me a while to figure out where I could find good, reliable data, so hopefully this list helps someone else who's unsure of where to look. 

Oops:“Be aware that even with a property management company on your payroll, you'll still need to make occasional visits to your property to make sure that what managers and tenants tell you matches reality.

@Liz Kazeva Sounds like you guys have complimentary skill sets...may be a good match.

But for now, the goal is to get the residence livable and rented out while I work on the 2000 ft.² plus interior of the church and it’s matching basement. 

Or is it advisable to stick to the original plan and continue to save up money and analyze owner occupied units until the numbers match up?

@Tye Foster start by defining your goals and objectives and then identify markets that best match those goals.

As of right now I make about 18.55 an hour, I put 20% of my paycheck into a Roth account where my employer matches 5% (my Mom made me) As of right now my paychecks are about $800, I get paid biweekly and I really don’t know what to do with my money.

As of now, I put 20% of my paycheck into a Roth account where my employer matches 5%.I have had a plan for a long time that my first big purchase would be a multi unit house or a duplex, ideally a 2-3 unit building where I could live in one, and rent out the other.