Identifying the areas were growth will happen through simple logic  studying infrastructure studying the city county long range planning documents that are usually only looked at by the Trammel Crow's of the world.. and get in front of this. 

No offense to Ohio but they are usually in the top 10 most expensive states for property taxes, along with Texas.

It will make the house more appealing to people but will not usually increase the value IME.....

Best bet is usually to find a title company that works with wholesalers as close to the subject property as possible.

I think try and get an extra job to make repairs and stay in the house.

Perhaps it lacks the "guaranteed" pitch that might intrigue you, but those pre-determined dividends are great until they stop, and usually that's what happens when new capital is not brought into the deal.  

How much do you usually plan to make on a flip before you are willing to buy?

As a general rule of thumb, I usually strive to keep about 2-3 months of mortgage payment reserves. 

We have multiple teams that work on rehabs and can usually get it done for well below the pricing. 

I usually I include something about the security deposit law in the state.