Propane is seemingly less expensive in most areas and provides good heat.

@Josh Jung do you recommend any providers?

Where to get the most recent and accurate data for things like:Unemployment dataPopulation growthJob diversity and top employers in the areaVacancy rates (eg huduser.org)Property taxes and jnsurance costsI saw bp pro and reventure and a bunch of other websites provide some of this data, but i wonder how accurate and recent it is.

Please note the information provided below is a layman's definition designed to provide a basic understanding for the general audience.

I interpretttev @Alan Asriants statement different than you but agree it is not clear   He could be indicating pools, basements, sunrooms do not provide a means for an extra tenant.  

He could provide you with some good insight in and around the area!

That would be a game changer is you can use it to buy your second home. 

Each lender will be willing to provide a ballpark rate quote with some simple info such as FICO score, property type, location, term, and desired LTV.

I'm happy to go walk the property and take photos and provide a simple report of the information you want to help you make a decision. 

My conclusion is that take the provided ROI calculations from REI as purely estimates.