There are other schools of thought, but I think when you're just starting out, the best location is somewhere close enough for you to drive to.

On the thanksgiving vacation, I'm going to drive down to Florida, and look for a properties that I can live on one side and rent out the other. 

Since the home cannot be rented for a year it allowed the year for improvements to drive up rental income.

Also, do not rely on the rapid increases resulting from COVID; these increases are not sustainable.

These inspections typically take place with the occupying tenant present and may allow them to address concerns that you, as a property owner, may not have known about otherwise.You can also perform drive-by inspections without needing to coordinate with the tenant to address any concerns with the exterior upkeep of the property.Document It is always a good idea to document every interaction with a tenant and any and all work done during their occupancy of the property.

@Timothy Burnes Don't do it. 10-20k in equity is not worth all those issues.Bed bugs are a significant defect that can take either $5000 and tenting the whole building for heat treatment, which requires vacating the tenants or getting them hotel rooms for a few nights, or a sustained program of prevention with bed risers, leg traps, sealed mattress bags, and the tenants need to keep it up for.. get ready for it.. 6 months, which is how long they can live without a meal.Sewage in the basement could be a big issue if you have a sewer backup problem.The sinking toilet sounds like it needs immediate attention, but at least that's a straightforward repair.The other issues are what I would consider "normal" as in, you could fix them but don't need to in order to make the place liveable.Based on the bed bugs alone I would avoid... if you are comfortable with this level of rehab you should be getting a way better deal. 

Besides legalities, is cost and ROI the driving factor in the majority, if not all of your repair and upgrade decisions?

I just recently have been using a list of pre-foreclosures/ foreclosures cold calling and driving for dollars. 

I understand that there is a "green tax" since its not common practice but I want to try and make the shift on one or two homes to see if it can be sustained on small scale projects.

FSBO in front yard... driving the neighborhood, saw the sign, walked into the garage where the owner was.