Is the area's population, increasing, decreasing, or remaining stable? 

I used 100K as a down payment on a condo in a market that pulls high weekly rental during the summer and stable monthly rent Jan-April.

On top of that if you buy towards the west end the quality of the tenant base makes for an incredibly stable investment.

It's also far easier to get loans if you have stable income.As others mentioned, go to REI meetups in your area to get more educated and network. 

Most of the lenders I talk to want to see 2 years of stable income from the same job (which I don’t have), and others won’t underwrite a loan smaller than $50k.

He's got a stable of good contractors and would be a good resource for you here.Good luck on the flip!

You can do an FHA loan with stable employment of at least 1 year.

Each property you purchase has a shelf life and utility to your portfolio. 

You can administer the investments, but cannot benefit now by receiving income or inject benefit into the IRA through services like performing work on the property.If you get a good rental property in your IRA, for example, your IRA has a stable asset securing the principal, with consistent income over time and the potential for appreciation. 

If it's a 3bd, you will more likely get a family and they are more stable IMO.