Get out of the car and walk the area or get a soda and sit down and watch the area for an hour or two on multiple occasions.

The same soda bottles was left on the front yard for over a year.Again, the checked the public records, no mortgages and liens.

But, you can use data to talk yourself into or out of any investment.  7/11's are not going to be replaced by online soda machines. 

We tried vinager with baking soda twice.

It’s like the cost of six pack of soda vs buying six individual sodas.... the cost can be 2-4 times more when you buy the soda individually.

The amount you can use for closing costs and rate buy downs is limited, so that leaves you with the majority of the credit for "upgrades," like finishing the landscaping, building a fence, installing sod, a sprinkler system, planting trees, buying appliances and installing blinds, etc. 

Appreciation, depreciation, amortization of the loan, and cash flow (and laundry machine or soda machine or parking money if applicable :) all blended to create my actual return on ownership of the asset. 

It's like trying to answer "How many calories should I eat?".   

- Why does a 2 liter of pop/soda cost more at convenience stores versus grocery stores?

I would look at Clear Lake, specifically Soda Bay.