Are there good sources for demographic data, price to rent ratios, etc...?

All in costs for my house (not including the principal payments I've been making for two years) is about $10,000 (down payment plus upgrades).So, I can rent it for $1,400/month, and after PITI and landscaping, monthly cash flow is $100 or 12% annual cash flow. 

I have a landscaping business, and I'm usually riding through several of my targeted markets constantly, in addition to just driving the other vehicles all over the place, so this will give me great exposure to drive leads for my company as well.

Expenses tend to go down each year as we do major work in first few years of each property (roofs, generators, landscaping, troubleshooting). 

The landscaping had been neglected for years so it needed major pruning. 

Is it written into your lease that the tenant must maintain the landscape? 

It definitely needs landscaping - fencing would attract families. 

Cover that open portion with a panel, landscaping (just hide it with tree or shrubs), open it up totally for a garden, etc. ....

It needs a new roof $7,000, electrical $3,500 a unit, plumbing $3,000 a unit, refinish hardwood floors $3,500 a unit, privacy fence $1,500, landscaping $750.00, interior mud work and painting $5,500 per unit, 4 new doors units and possibly 5to8 new windows maybe $5,000.   

But just so you know, I carefully considered Birmingham for one of our turn key markets and came to the easy conclusion that the economic and demographic fundamentals didn't support it.