My thought now is that is it is going to be able to be done in 2 days or less I will probably do the project, longer and more in depth projects will be contractred out.

I have been researching on and off over the past 6-8 months, but can't really answer my first basic question, what is the most profitable / right market to look at and start researching in depth for investing in cash flowing and high appreciation properties.

Knowing your expected/required return on your investment, you would use that as your hurdle when conducting an in-depth analysis of a property.So, if you are looking in the East, feel free to reach out.

Cost per sq ft for a project for improvements is hard to manipulate because labor and construction costs are up.

You can look this up on YouTube and find videos going in depth how to find motivated sellers.

I am seeking more in depth information on modeling and analyzing specific areas.

How value is truly calculated, how seller's numbers can be manipulated, understanding of local rental market. 

Do you recommend any in depth step by step podcasts or forums on bigger pockets that could help me out ?

We go over this topic in depth during lease signing, and without exception, the tenant says "that's fair". 

After reading more in depth, I informed my realtor that we do not need to pay the FIRPTA on our sale.