Then, over time, probably a few months, start to determine who you would feel comfortable doing a deal with.

Correct - Track all your income and expenses.The bookkeeping will determine whether you are profitable or not.it will also be good to compare from year to year your income / expenses to see what expenses you can potentially try to limit.I.E.

Quote from @Tom Gimer: @Jay HinrichsIf a law is passed that has the effect of reforming existing contracts, there is a fairly detailed analysis/framework for determining whether it would be constitutional under the contracts clause.

 @Puneet Mahi as others have stated, I would do a deep dive on the markets inside each state to determine where you could have an advantage AND where your family would like to live.

We determined the ARV, estimated our rehab, decided on our required profit, and then negotiated on the purchase price based on that data.

Our mental model is to have enough that someone arriving late could put together a bare bones meal for dinner and have the essentials for breakfast before they head out to get actual groceries. 

We embrace S8 applicants, but screen them just like any other applicant.Many have an entitlement mentality and try to leverage their S8 voucher by pretending to be helpless:1) A percentage won't apply because they expect a landlord to waive application fees for them.2) Many cry broke and expect a landlord NOT to charge them a security deposit.3) Many of those same S8 tenants trying to avoid paying a security deposit, won't make an effort to call the list of nonprofits we send them that will pay their security deposit if they apply.4) A lot of them try to avoid paying for utilities.

I would do some market research on top-growing cities and determine which of those cities are within your price range and cashflow goals.

I recommend starting by contacting the county’s property tax office to determine if they are open to discussing or reviewing an appeal for property taxes.

Without having much info, I would need to know the financial situation of the 'close family' to determine a best approach.