I agree, the house is not as appealing since it is quite close to a freeway on-ramp. 

I bought a 6 unit in a not so great area, and have done as much as I could to increase the curb appeal and rents, and was pretty successful but it took about 2-3 years to really get it running well enough to increase the value of the property. 

Repaired and cosmetically appealing is the standard I use.

Our biggest concern is locating the ideal neighborhoods to purchase a rental in, in terms of cashflow and high ROI, and appeal to families with kids that will hopefully rent long term and keep our vacancy very low.Our budget on the first property is a max of 35k down.Jacksonville is such a huge place that we really need suggestions on where to start our search.

Flipping, wholesaling, buy and hold, lending, BRRRRR: which of these business models would appeal to you. 

The eviction takes 2 weeks to 2 months(depending on appeals, pauper, etc).  

Having less debt would make you more appealing to a potential landlord.

Are solar panels a cost effective route or more of an appeal to environmentally friendly people?

Once you finally get the judgment, a borrower can also take an appeal or file bankruptcy which can delay it more.

Can you guys recommend some colors that would work well with the color of the floors and appeal to todays styles that are out there.