I see alot of affordable manufactured homes (with land) for 55+ but is this a good age group for section 8 in the area?

Yes ,rent it to someone with 2 or 3 young boys around the age of 3 to 5 years old .  

At some point (either over time/age, or location) you have to make a decision to include a PM as another tool in your toolbox toward growing a profitable portfolio, and gaining your time back.

At that 6 to 10 year age of a house, things start to go wrong. a/c goes out, faucets start leaking, carpet gets worn out.If you are going to rent, dont do a rehab on the property.

As you stated, appraisers are looking at square footage, age of roof, HVAC and water heater, electrical, foundation, windows, doors, year built, location.

I can't imagine living with fleas in this day and age. 

That being said, I fortunately have the means to close on two properties and I'm wondering whether it makes more sense to maximize my income and real estate purchasing qualifications (e.g. consistent employment, income, etc.) now versus trying to acquire my second property whilst in a new career with less income.

As a past software developer, website developer I found TIN oddly lacking in obvious data fields:  beds, baths, age.  

Now days, being the internet age, there are several websites that sell you there programs for finding, flipping, and selling properties. some provide you will everything you need to do it all right from your livinroom and they even have a list of investors willing to buy your property right from the web as well or possibly after a personal inspection .

Unemployment: ideally, % is decreasing over last 5 yearsPopulation: 5-year population growth is increasingPopulation age: 5-year population age range of your target demographic is increasing Industry: ideally, no one industry is employing more than 25% to 30% of the employed populationTop employers: look up the top companies, determine what industry they are in, and calculate if that is a growing or declining industrySupply and DemandIs the supply of your product (SFRs or multifamily) increasing?