My husband was a truck driver for 25 yrs and recently came off the road to spend more time with our kids and grandkids.  

Look at the fundamentals that drive RE prices.

I took a different approach and went with my budget being the biggest driver....

I'm a 13 year UPS driver in downtown Manhattan.

Especially since the trend in families is having less kids later in life.As for people moving to an area, I'm not 100% sure how they could possibly know that with the exception of maybe driver license transfers.

The main driver for demand is the beach and Port Canaveral (one of the biggest cruise ports on the East Coast).

One of my buds who is a bus driver earning 65,000 per year showed me a check he got during the 2 year program for 65K for a rehab deal.

You need to look at housing stock available and decide if you have a reasonable expectation of seeing another duplex you want to live in come up.in your planned time frame where there are reasonable numbers for you.If the town /school district isn't a big driver then keep trying to find that deal you want.

Some cases I've seen relatives that come to live with the borrower but you will have to document the heck out of those strategic scenarios with registration card/drivers licenses registered to your address, utility bills, the relative occupants bank statements, or other documents that show they will live there.

Since your job as an engineer will be the main driver for downpayments (at least for a while) you don't want to do anything that puts this job at risk. 3) If you just paid down your student loans, how long would it take you?