I have a fundamental problem with paying someone who is representing someone else in negotiations against you?

In fact, it may be an indicator that something fundamental is off track.

The fundamentals are good, until they're not.

A million dollar plus house may very well be within a couple hundred yards of a rotting trailer.Generally, the fundamentals (economy, taxes, population growth, job creation, education) are better in NH than in most of the northeast.  

These parameters will help decide what kind of yields you are searching for, which you can use to filter down your list of macro markets.Then I would start by looking at the macro market's fundamentals, that is the population, job and income growth over time.After that, I would look to see what the rents and home prices are and how those are trending as well.I would do a similar analysis, but at the sub-market level for the metro area you are considering investing in.Other metrics that I find valuable to understand are household income, poverty, unemployment, and educational attainment.

Since I only get about $200 every 2 weeks I was left without any money for saving as I had to purchase fundamental items.

The underlying fundamentals of a solid company on solid ground need to be present. 

Appreciation creates cash flow ... price increases and rent increases go hand in hand as they are driven by very similar supply and demand fundamentals, but most expenses (eg: fixed rate mortgage payments) do not scale as such.

You need to be dominate in your market and the fundamentals of good housing and the viability of real estate in your area.  

You may not get the appreciation others will see but in the long run they feel like a solid, stable investment if the underlying fundamentals and economics are right.