This practice is not for all property owners, but when done correctly can net both owner and operator a healthy return.

Her health is good (meaning they would be waiting and paying for a while)2. she owes too much on the house3. the house isn't worth enough to justify the labor hours required to service the client

This is a healthy and sustainable growth rate.

And I have been super fortunate but I don't make a TON of money or we'd be buying in LA ;) ) I've listened to SO many BP podcasts and read dozens of books on this topic...it seems a lot of good investors buy property they haven't seen as long as the market is healthy and the numbers make sense.

I'm young, healthy, and just want to enjoy a simple and stress free lifestyle. 

Yesterday my wife gave birth to our fifth child, a beautiful, healthy, baby boy. 

But it's not the whole picture.Even in a healthy market, homes tend to have a vacancy rate of 5% which means half a month's rent lost every year.

This was always the largest factor on which GC's I did business with since its a good indicator of how healthy their business is.  

I recently proposed a similar question regarding an SFH that I own outright with healthy cashflow vs selling it and buying two other properties.

You could look at cities and towns to see the budget is shrinking or growing, and crime on the rise or falling, rioting going on or not, business moving in or out, these are good indicators of whether things are healthy or soon to be in decay.