The information I am looking for would be the standard points an investor might want to know, including average home prices, median income, crime rates, real estate forecasts etc. 

Generally, if you are out of a job, buying anything is not a good idea until you have that secured so you aren't burning income into a fire.

If you are already receiving an income and don’t need monthly cash flow you may prefer all the appreciation at the end.

It's interesting that many of these VC-backed PMC's, despite having 10k+ properties under management, aren't doing well financially - one of them just merged with another industry-related company also not doing well.Just for fun, here's a partial list of PMC expenses that owners pretend don't exist:Office rentComputers, printers & softwareInternet & phone billOffice furnitureOffice supplies: paper, postage, ink, etc.Office liability insuranceAuto expenses: monthly payment, insurance, gas, maintenance, registration/plate feesBroker license fees: annual, monthly board & MLS fees, continuing education fees, E&O insuranceEquipment: lockboxes, signs, etc.Business income tax preparation and paymentsStaff payroll & payroll taxes Time Tasks: answering phones, calling past due tenants, scheduling tours, taking marketing pics, processing those pics, writing ads, researching rent amounts, posting ads, explaining to owners how rent determined & showing where ad posted, opening & processing mail, posting payments, bank deposits, scanning documents & posting to owner & tenant portals, explaining accounting to owners so they understand their monthly statements, taking pics/videos of repairs, finding reputable handymen and contractors, confirming they're properly licensed & insured and tracking annually, verifying repairs done properly, processing invoices for utility bills, repairs, taxes, city inspections, scheduling periodic property evaluations/inspections with tenants that don't want strangers in their homes, explaining to owners why something is taking so long, and more & more & more...OBSERVATION: many owners only want to pay a flat fee or 50% of a month of rent as a leasing fee - without realizing the repercussions. 

So, it will reduce your net income and therefore your taxable income.

HI Stephanie,You can always start off by house hacking meaning you live in one UNIT or ROOM and renting out the other vacant units/rooms to offset your monthly mortgage payment.There are several ways to run and make sure you are maximizing your rental income while keeping your living expense as low as possible.

Save for down payments and reserves by creating a budget and considering side hustles or additional income streams.

Josh - I think the exercise that would be good to go through is to develop a pro forma showing your current revenue/expenses/income as well as a projection for future years.

Best thing you can do to maximize your entitlement is to choose a 2-4 unit so you can have a higher county loan limit and you can use 75% of the other door as income to afford a higher purchase price.

If no, then what’s the income they would like me to have?