The short version is that you want a strong and diverse job market, low unemployment rates, a growing population, low vacancy rates and new development, affordability/cost of living, real estate laws and court system, good schools, and low crime.Check out the videos from Dave Meyers with BiggerPockets.

Utilized a low down payment loan, maxed seller credit, tax proration and closed on the 1st of the month to maximize my cash and acquire this property What was the outcome?

@Brittney Yang surprisingly I have found that I can have glue down LVP installed by a local flooring company, we use Artisent Floors, https://artisentfloors.com/, for our local renovations and they are awesome and they can do it for less than what I can buy the product for at Lowes or HD even with my 10% military discount! 

•If jobless claims are low (below 210,000): The labor market remains strong, keeping the Fed in no rush to cut rates.

You are correct in your assumption that it will impact how low they can go on the down payment, though, b/c commissions will need to be paid out of closing costs. 

Rental property prices are low in this area, leads me to believe there are problems with the rent collected vs expenses.

It’s a lower risk strategy since you’ll be living in one of the units, and you’ll qualify for low down payment loans.

You can do less than 20% down (as low as 3.5-5%) if you intend to occupy the home for at least a year.2) There will be an HOA (homeowners association) which restricts rentals, so be sure to read the CC&Rs (governing documents) to ensure that your rental strategy is allowed, even if you intend to live there at first, eventually you'll be transitioning it to an investment property, so this will be important.

We decided to market it as a 4 bed/1 bath with an office.Listing Price - $199,900Property Taxes - $2,230.13AssumptionsPurchase Price $230,000In this case I had seen similar properties selling for $225K - $250K so I felt the property was listed low to drive up interest.

Assuming you have access to MLS (Multiple Listing Service, a place for agents to list deals).1) Look for deals that look like investor-type of deals (e.g. low purchase price, ugly houses, or sometimes MLS will even say what type of financing it is)2) If the buyer's info is there, voila.  3) Otherwise, contact the realtor to look for leads (that will be more of a uphill battle, but you never know...)