We achieved these higher rents after buying a fixer and completing a major remodel.

How did you achieve that success? 

Try propstream.com, I've found their data to be pretty accurate.

Use Zillow and rentometer.com to get data and analyze a few from your home to see what type of returns there are.If these meet your investment criteria then start looking in person by contacting the listing agent.Let me know if you have any questions.

You just need to dig in the data and find a good deal.

I thought I'd become a licensed home inspector to achieve this. 

There are several data providers that sell such data. 

I'm also moving into data analyst role so Itll all be remote. 

Not super helpful data, because it depends on price point there are going to be more cash transactions in a market where houses are $100k vs a market where they are $300k. 

So you and your agent need to look at the data for comparable pending and (very) recently sold homes, as well as whatever active homes may be available - because solds and pending aside, the value of this prospective home will be comparatively lower if there are 15 similar homes on the market for buyers to look at compared to if there are just one, two, or zero other homes like this for buyers.And I know it's tough with HUD homes because they don't take escalators, but in the end, armed with your market analysis data, you need to bid your 'walk away' price, meaning that if you bid a dollar under what it goes for you'd be OK with not getting it, rather than kicking yourself and wishing you had bid a dollar more.