In most cases, the lender was able to use an income projection from one of my local property management partners to underwrite the deal... which is super helpful when you're going after a property that hasn't been rented and thus doesn't have any historical income data. 

I personally dont trust US government data.

Data from February through April shows prices trending downward, and buyers have begun to respond.

There are programs, but they will never be as accurate as full and complete MLS data that you can map.

Keep some liquidity--Maybe park $100K–$200K in a HYSA or short-term treasuries/CDs as a buffer or emergency fund.

Real estate data analytics company ATTOM said in a May 29 statement.Zombie homes, which can fall into disrepair and negatively impact the value of other properties in the neighborhood, are a sign of distress in the housing market and the broader economy.According to ATTOM’s analysis, Peoria County in Illinois ranked at the top in the list of U.S. counties with the highest zombie foreclosure rates.Those counties include: Peoria County, Illinois (17.6 percent of properties in the foreclosure process are vacant); Broome County, New York (13.8 percent); Cuyahoga County, Ohio (11.2 percent); Baltimore City County, Maryland (10.8 percent); Marion County, Indiana (10.5 percent); Lucas County, Ohio (9.9 percent); Allen County, Indiana (9.8 percent); Saint Louis County, Missouri (9.6 percent); Pinellas County, Florida (9.3 percent); Vanderburgh County, Indiana (8.7 percent). 

Right now my strategy is to use privy adn only use the mls data.

The data provided includes STRs (short-term rentals) which means that the total number is not correct and if you were to do the math, the percentage of increased rentals would not be correct.If you look at the 3 graphs - Cape Coral, Ft Myers, and Lehigh - you will see that inventory has increased dramatically since December, with consistent growth month over month.

I’m nervous about picking the wrong market to start in; especially since I’m relying heavily on data, virtual tours, and local connections I’m still trying to build. 

Quote from @Edwin Varela: Where can I find consumer data about people (Americans) who are interested in buying properties in the Caribbean?