I'm getting into the habit of the Funnel concept, of analyzing properties and identifying deals/leads.Thank you for the tips, this certainly helps. 

@Jeremy Blackburn it is in the Garden District area of Baton Rouge (not quite on the level of NOLA's Garden District in terms of history and architecture!)

Anyways, thanks for any tips!

Also any tips/mistakes or things you guys wish you did or didn’t at my age that would really help...

There're some good tips on this thread, but it's not enough to do it correctly on your own.you do not deduct depreciation against your income, it goes into that whole calculation I mentioned: rent minus expenses minus depreciationthe resulting number known as "net rental income or loss" can be improved with certain tax strategies.

I feel like I have a good pulse on the local market, but am curious if anyone has tips for identifying markets.I feel like my area is a good buy-and-hold market as the city is actively growing and the houses are appreciating considerably.

Clermont, Winter Garden and even Apopka would be good choices for building appreciation and still have a good commute.Your budget may determine what areas are going to be attractive enough, but the rental market is always strong here, so I wouldn't put too much weight on that for now since you plan to live in it for a couple years first.Always happy to chat, just message me and we can set something up and see how we can help you plan or take action now!

Please, send any tips, advice on where to look for the answers to those questions, and more!

@Louie Gabriel @Marcus Auerbach Thank you both for the information and tips!

or any special tips/advice on getting a message to the owner, who obviously does not live there anymore, or possibly does not visit the property anymore.