Had a set style for prospecting single family rentals but a bit of mission drift got me side tracked.

Get my drift.

But as long as you either have good market knowledge or are working with someone who provides you with that knowledge, you won't run into many appraisal surprises.I mostly invest/list/sell in the Onondaga County area, drifting just a tad north/south/east/west into adjoining counties. 

I would basically be floating on almost 0 net positive cash flow till I could get the prices raised.

Weather is also a concern as homes usually do not float.

I have some offers floating right now and will be getting bids from more contractors, I would love to be able to prove to them that I'm well informed.Again, thanks for the feedback.

So it's OK to float from one conversation to another until you hear (or see) some kind of commonality you can use to strike up a conversation.For example, if you float around and hear someone say they're from a town in Western Mass, and you're from Western Mass, you can wait for a pause or until they're alone and then use that to start a conversation.

So just be sure you really have a handle on what you are doing...find some advisors and mentors who can help...so you don't end up floating down the river without a paddle (so tempted to make a Bird Box reference here... :) )

If it’s worth “just” $825k, then there is not enough ‘meat on the bone’ to be able to get a hard money loan for the down payment, rehab, float you for long enough to be able to flip it, etc. 

If the price works and you are comfortable floating the additional $4800 per year, then you should consider it - but move forward knowing what your true intentions are,  and that is speculation on appreciation.