I'm trying to find areas that aren't over saturated but also have mild climates or little/no snow. 

However, I've observed that there are two polarizing opinions about these markets: Some investors say that they are still finding success in these markets, and some say that these markets are too competitive / over-saturated with investors.  

.- Knocking doors & meeting residents daily.Phoenix seems very heavily saturated & flipped already.

My concern is that real estate makes a big fat target for increased taxes in the future.A raise in capital gains taxes will hurt the 'appreciation' folks.

If it really is cat urine and you have carpet in there, you may need to rip it out along with the pad, then check the subfloor and, if not too much damage (as in the urine hasn’t fully saturated the plywood), bleach, killz, an ozone unit, the replace/ reinstall the flooring.

Am I being fed a big fat bologna sandwich or is it actually possible that they don’t keep those records?

Both short-term rentals and midterm rentals are quite saturated though.

The market is over saturated with 1-3 bedrooms.

Even if we forget saturation, interest rates, and the economy for a minute, the biggest thing that will keep those returns away is that the secret is out. 

I agree with what @Yvonne Gallegos said about Cape Coral's saturation of STR's, in particular the off-water homes.