I'm in the marketing field and wish I would have done construction.

The issue I see is that market has historical appreciation below average (not bad, but slightly poor).  

I use some mixed strategies to go on and off market, but I'm just generally curious what others are doing and finding that works for them?

To find value on residential 1-4 unit properties you could ask your realtor to run comps or complete a CMA(Comparative Market Analysis) on a subject property once you find it.or you can find the value on your own.We use prop stream to run comps. 

@Shane Regnier I've flipped a bunch of houses in Ocala but have yet to dabble in the rental market. 

Study the market.

on the one hand, if you're happy with it, and you believe in this market, and this is what you wanted, great. the fact that you're asking the question shows that you're being thoughtful about it.with that said, it sounds like you're into the deal for almost $90K out of pocket, and so if you asked me if i would put $90K of my hard earned cash into a property to get $175 month, the answer is no. 

Purchase price: $35,000 Cash invested: $38,000 Another flip ready in the market. https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4467-Sims-St-Columbus-GA-31907/76572533_zpid/

If things go sideways, you discovery greater rehab expenses, the market takes a turn for the worse, you can get in the red quickly. 

Plus is 4% even in line with market cap rates?