There are two main factors that you can use to track gentrification, so why can't they be used to track the reverse?

Currently content is a big factor is rankings. 

It's crucial to keep investors informed about these factors and help them understand the rationale behind our long-term strategies.

We do not factor in capital gains tax in our final net profit projection Hope that helps!  

Is it driven by higher rents in that market or what's the underlying factor from what you have seen?  

Use a 20% vacancy/tenant nonperformance factor in your analysis.

Of course there are other factors such as fees, but so far I have found those to be relatively minimal.

@Tom HallAt 7% if you can I would pay it down as investing it net after tax gains may not get you the 7% you are paying - so it’s less riskDownside is you lose liquidity of that money as it’s tied in your propertyIf rates come down in future you can refinance and even take some of the cash out.Regarding your question are rates coming down, a lot of factors come into play but right now it does not appear there will be significant changes to rates over next 3-6 months.

What factors should I prioritize when choosing the best approach for my future success in real estate? 

Need to be sure you include the "unknown budget" and never take the optimistic approach as it is better to have money left at the end than writing more and more checks that were unplanned for.Again, if you can walk through an actual property and compare notes with someone that does it in your area (key factor), you will be way ahead of what a generic book can give you.