Only concentrating on very specific areas of the city that are desirable for renters and supply constrained.

Supply will eventually catch up to demand.   

You can find 2% in some northern cities where population is declining and supply exceeds demand.  

I would be supplying the purchase price and the repair cost of this home   Once everything has been completed I need my purchase price back and repair costs back.

Can someone supply the name of a lender that provides HomeOne Loan?

I'm surprised the demand hasn't outdone the supply (limited supply due to regulation) and effectively driven up prices even more.

I have heard metrics of 6 months housing supply, 5% interest rates, and sustainable 3-4% home price appreciation, but have you ever seen/lived through a "normal" market?

If you provide more details, people here can supply some helpful suggestions. 

Let them go there and pick their own contractor from the list that Home Advisor supplies. 

I look for things no one else wants.I'm currently buying medical office and retail because there's a large supply of the former in my market and because the popular media has convinced everyone that Amazon will put the latter out of business.Those are the kind of things you need to look for.