The equity potential of course, but mainly I was trying to solve two issues - on one end, the seller was struggling financially and needed to sell her home but investors were aggressively trying to take advantage.

“Success is doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”

If the mushrooms are still visible and you aren't comfortable living there due to it potentially being unsafe I recommend contacting code enforcement: https://www.atlantapd.org/about-apd/divisions/chief-administ...

Try looking into zillow/Redfin and see what your potential rents you can get near the neighborhood by filtering the bedrooms/bathrooms of the intentional property that you are planning to buy.

Check out the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America (NACA).NACA was formed in 1988 and provides an affordable option for potential first-time buyers:✅ No down payment✅ No closing costs or fees✅ No mortgage insurance✅ No consideration of credit score✅ Below market fixed interest rateThere are several requirements to be eligible, starting with attending one of their workshops.https://www.naca.com

My book does go into detail on these as they are the biggest potential issues.  2)  The seller changes their mind before you purchase -  my book goes into detail on this but it is important you file what is called a memorandum of lease option - so they can't sell it to anyone else or refinance it to pull out their equity. 

By selling the property now, you can avoid the time, money, and effort required to make repairs and potentially deal with ongoing property management responsibilities.On the other hand, if you are willing to invest in the repairs and potentially hand off the property to a property management company, you may be able to increase the value of the building and generate higher rental income in the long run.

Found a potential deal. 4 Acres SW of Raleigh about 30 minutes from downtown. 

Some additional posts for your series:How you ID potential purchases?

Short term capital gains is your ordinary income tax rate and long-term capital gains where you hold the property a year or longer is considered long-term capital gains is in as taxed a lower rate.