I work as a delivery driver and half of my money is from tips, which dosen't count towards my income.

I'm a husband/father/football coach/commercial driver.

At a minimum, she needs to include a legible, color copy of her drivers license, then do all the backgrounds once she sends you a money order to cover the background, credit and eviction history. 

So at times I come across potential properties to acquire but they are on the elbow of L shaped roads, where it could seem like having a car in your living room one of those nights when the driver is intoxicated or falls asleep.  

For sure, tenant screening is a key driver for success in this business.

It sounds like you should be in the driver's seat then.You might consider working with a strong real estate agent on the purchase.  

I think that in itself is one of the huge drivers of why so many people are moving there. 

Getting a copy of their driver's license might also be a good idea (just take a pic with digital camera).Going through that helps to weed out some of the bad characters ... but not all unfortunately.

I have about 6k saved and I make about 12k a year as a part time pizza driver.

That is county tax as I am not in city limits.That would only add a few hundred more annually if it was so just over 1 percent if city and county.Some states have no income tax but the property tax is very high so you have to calculate quality of the area, rent growth, and economic drivers to see If paying high taxes to own or invest there makes sense.