If not the state DOT (department of transportation) usually has a site with traffic counts year over year to see if growing, stagnant, or declining.

Ease of transportation?  

And do it in an area that could potentially see some growth.If you company allows you to work remotely, I'd look to move to a much cheaper area and find a property that could deliver you some value -- low price point, high ARV, opportunity to improve, etc.Then you could work from home, househack, and have someone covering your living expenses while you also drastically reduce your transportation costs.Your 45k salary will cover the essentials and some good times for a young kid -- max your 401k and any other needs -- and the rest goes into your investments.

(It is very important to know what the land's surrounding area offers, such as nearby grocery stores, parks, retail, schools, public transportation/light rail, and employment centers because it will be easier to attract potential homebuyers or renters.)(3) FInd out who your City Councilperson or Alderperson is and what has she or he done to help real estate developers.

It's also easy to transport.

How far is the stores, supermarkets, coffee shop, transportation.

If you take two individual properties with similar dynamics such as cost, condition and rental potential, you can see very different results based on things like taxes and whether landlord/tenancy laws are more or less favorable.It really pays to understand the following factors:Property tax ratesProperty insurance ratesMunicipal landlord taxes (an IRA or 401k may not be exempt from certain local taxes)Local landlord/tenant laws – how easy is it to evict a tenant, for example.Local Market FactorsIn addition, you will want to look at things like neighborhood safety, quality of schools, access to transportation, proximity to shopping and recreation, and other factors that drive desirability.Investing in real estate is not really that different than any other type of investment.

If so, then yes, it would be wise to go spend a good amount of time checking out the different neighborhoods.Good areas tend to be close to good transportation and amenities.The rental market is strong there.

Ideally someone with a Property Management background/transportation/laptop/etc.

Pay particular attention to the City's Capital Improvements Plan, which might be a separate document or might be rolled into either the Comprehensive Plan, the Master Plan, Transportation Plan, or some other planning document.The documents above usually reference 10 year futures and are updated every 3-5 years.