There should be no visible signs of gang or other criminal activity - no people hanging out on corners, no graffiti, etc.It is important to note, however, that many areas are street-to-street, meaning that one street can have rows of lovely B properties, while one street over is a War Zone, so you need to look at properties within that context.

You may be too young for this movie reference, but my favorite quote on mindset comes from the movie Star Wars Empire Strikes Back. 

At the risk of starting a holly war, CAP rate does NOT indicate profitability.

I'm sure you will find a wealth of information here and make numerous connections to assist you and your wife on this journey. 

F properties are also known as "war zones," an abundance of violence, bad economy, declining jobs and population, bad pool of tenants.

follow williams advice and go meet the lenders at these meetups.. and do be careful of random out of state people offering to help.. there is a ton of lending scams going on on BP.. terms that are too good to be true.. they just need a few up front dollars etc etc. they are pump and dump due diligence scams.do hard money is right there in Utah.. they charge 3k up front and are super high interest but they say they will fund 100%.. reviews are mixed some have done deals others have paid the money only to get turned down numerous times and be out a bunch of money and finally give up.but if they are local to you and you can go in and eyeball them maybe thats a fit.But the best fit is the local HML who as William states knows your area and can make the deal work.. those are relationships you want to foster for repeat business with them

They will refer the individual to the police.I have done this numerous time when dealing with friends and relatives of tenants and have found it very effective in dealing with unauthorised "guests" in my jurisdiction.

I've been in the landscaping industry for 4 years now, all of which have been a foreman so I definitely know my fair share of landscapng, on top of that I have numerous other skills including hardwood floor installation and concrete restoration as well as epoxy coatings and decking.  

PODCASTS - take of advantage of the BP podcast, but also the numerous other podcasts out there that will help you formulate plan and help get your first deal.Congrats on all your endeavors and Enjoy!

Where can I achieve this rule without buying in war-zone areas?