Personally I wouldn't buy based on expectation of appreciation. 

https://www.har.com/content/newsroom/Houston Real Estate Highlights in June Single-family home sales rose 1.8 percent year-over-year, with 8,518 units sold, the largest one-month sales volume of all time;Days on Market (DOM) for single-family homes declined from 50 to 48 days;Total property sales reached record levels, rising 1.7 percent, with 10,115 units sold – the first time that number has broken the 10-thousand mark;Total dollar volume increased 6.6 percent to slightly more than $3 billion;The single-family home median price rose 2.6 percent to $245,000, reaching an all-time high;The single-family home average price increased 4.3 percent to a record high of $316,463;Single-family homes months of inventory was at a 4.1-months supply, the highest level since last August and equal to the national inventory level;Townhome/condominium sales rose 4.9 percent, with the average price down 1.7 percent to $211,050 and the median price down 4.1 percent to $163,000;Leases of single-family homes climbed 4.7 percent with the average rent up 3.9 percent to $1,877;Volume of townhome/condominium leases fell 4.2 percent with the average rent up 6.7 percent to $1,662.

I bought a triplex in 5/18 and now I'm buying another SFR, in a different area, and expect to close on it in 8/18.So far, I've been using my cash for the down payments.

I was working as an EMT for $hit pay and long hours, in a broken medical system.

I am looking for an area of town where we can expect appreciation, schools don't have to be good since it will be a unmarried couple moving there, and just overall a good investment a good first step in the state

There may also be non-monetary factors to consider, such as the family members expected rate of appreciation for the property and tax considerations. 

I expected some lenders to see that we are seeking to maximize our investment dollars by investing in a lower cost city. 

They left the property filthy and with tons of broken stuff.

Being that this is a wholesale deal, we don't know how well the wholesaler managed the seller's the expectations and perhaps they were not as ready to move.

If so, what's the cost to renovate and expected ARV?