My wife and I did come the the same conclusion on most of those same factors when we were looking in the north by Venice and Aviano. 

BiggerPockets is full of resources designed to help you along your journey, whether you are just getting started or a seasoned investor.

They have a high hassle factor and he sold most of them.  

You are correct; I made an assumption that we wouldn't be able to sell through a realtor based on the factors against us.

See the chart from Fair Isaac Company (FICO) below: FICO Score Pct of Population Default Probability 800 or more 13.00% 1.00% 750-799 27.00% 1.00% 700-749 18.00% 4.40% 650-699 15.00% 8.90% 600-649 12.00% 15.80% 550-599 8.00% 22.50% 500-549 5.00% 28.40% Less than 499 2.00% 41.00% Source: Fair Isaac CompanyAccording to this chart, investors should use corresponding vacancy+tenant-nonperformance factors of approximately 5% for Class A rentals, 10% for Class B and 20% for Class C.To address Class C payment challenges, many industry "experts" are now selling programs to newbie investors about how Section 8 tenants are the cure.

What factors should I prioritize when choosing the best approach for my future success in real estate? 

There’s a cool breakdown here if you ever want to explore gaming design inspiration.

A factor is whether the panel and electrical can handle the additional load.

Maybe they've been burned by landlords in the past and are being very careful.You can legally reject them based on personality, facial tattoos, body odor, or other factors, but you better make sure you can prove that it wasn't based on any protected class like race, religion, familial status, etc.

BiggerPockets is full of resources designed to help you along your journey, whether you are just getting started or a seasoned investor.