Is there a place where I can pull historical data from markets/ neighborhoods to see if buying property even makes sense for long term rentals and short term rentals (air bnb/vrbo )?

Make your house air tight.

All applicants will apply and pay for a background report through www.mysmartmove.com which includes a criminal, credit, and rental history.If they know they have bad credit, they don’t wast my time or their $40 I use cozy and do the same thing. 

It would be my primary residence for at least a year, so I'd want it to be nicer than a standard rental rehab i.e. hardwood floors throughout (maybe bamboo to cut some of the cost), exposed brick walls, 1.5 baths, subway tile in full bath, central air/heat with exposed ductwork, rooftop deck if city approves & budget allows (not a necessity though).

If you are getting a bank loan for part of the purchase, the bank wants proof that you can actually afford the loan.....not that someone you know handed you the cash yesterday to make the down payment but otherwise you are dead brokeThe bank is looking for YOUR financial stability and ability to pay them back....and someone that just shows up with 20k in cash that as far as they are concerned, just showed up out of thin air....doesn't make them feel warm and fuzzy about your overall financial stability

The hvac and central air are new.

I also signed up with Cozy and posted pictures.

This number represents active duty military, students in/at Air University, AF Reserve, National Guard, DOD civilians, military contractors, military retirees and all their family members in the greater Montgomery Metro Area.Both Maxwell and Maxwell-Gunter AFB play major roles in the Air Force’s and our entire military’s cyber defense and cyber strategies efforts, and the effects of this spill over the bases’ borders into the rest of the area.

I'm writing up my first listing; posting on Zillow, Cozy, and Craigslist. 

I’m going to give Cozy expenses a try this year -since I’m using Cozy for rent collection anyway.