You definitely took a good first step by finding BP and committing to learning. 

I always suggest to people to set up MLS / Redfin alerts on all the properties in their area and commit 20-30 minutes a day to going through them. 

I'm mostly concerned about what information i should receive before i commit to buying..

Your properties aren’t going to appreciate a bunch, and I’d look to other markets if that’s your end goal, however there’s a steady rental market in the area that is strong. 

We HAVE had things move quickly from city officials getting behind us, but that was with clear discussions and firm commitments.

I'd be interested in house hacking In the future but couldn't currently due to housing commitments.

However I am not sure if that is a strong enough reason to invest there.

I think it may be a strong rental pool for the right property 

Selling a property in the first 7ish years with a mortgage is not great because the strong majority of your mortgage payments are interest and the principal balance doesn't go down much. 

And yes, we call someone who uses a stolen meter or tampers with a meter- a person commiting a diversion of energy.