You cannot bank on appreciation, you may be able to afford it today, it things went south and you couldn't, it would be better if the property can pull its own weight through the tough times. 

Less work means faster turnover and a happier landlord.

The score is weighted such that the more-correlated metrics (#1 and #2 on the list) contribute more points than the less-correlated metrics (#3 and #4).

Those agents who do not hold those values show themselves quickly in our industry and gain a reputation even faster. 

No one will get a new tenant in faster than me.

It will help you be successful far faster than experimenting.  

It looks to be a factor of home prices rising faster than wages.

Not the cheapest, but should be a faster response time.  

The one conception I do throw in there for investors just starting in investing is that early on investors may be inclined to cut costs to leverage their money to grow faster - it's an understandable strategy but comes with it's own risks.

Here's a post that should give you some guidance:https://www.biggerpockets.com/member-blogs/10850/84064-what-type-of-investor-to-be-when-i-grow-up-active-or-passivOnce you make such decision, you'll be able to narrow down your focus a lot faster as to which route to take.